Could be a rough week for Ford employees:

'Black Monday' looms over Ford's future
Ten plants, 25,000 jobs ride on Bill Ford's 'Way Forward' strategy to be announced Monday.


Ford's market value has plunged by an astonishing $40 billion since 2001. Its North American automotive business is hemorrhaging cash and market share.

 

Ford has lost touch . The majority of the models they make don't grab people . Ford should have already updated the engines in the rangers , the 3.0 is a bad compromise between power and fuel milage and the 4.0 could have more of both power and fuel milage with less bore and more stroke , or a v8 option . V8 rangers would sell . But rangers already sell ; so no changes there . Bad idea , bad business . They could capture a larger share of the compact truck market , but they won't . If you see a crown vic , that isn't a police or sheriff's car , it's probably an unmarked . I'd hate to try to blend in with one . There are about 200 new 2005 F-150's , within a 50 mile radius of my house that did NOT sell , even when they were priced $5,000 to $6,000 less than a base sc edge . I don't have personal experience of late model ford small cars . They look allright to me , but I hear they could be peppier and more fun ; Dodge made a mint off the neon in that market , meeting those criteria . Anybody think a Lincoln LT is a good deal ? Being a good ford man I tried to tell ford what I would like . I've yet to find anyone interested . If you know where I can reach them I will try again . I'm beginning to think though; if they don't care about me , why should I care about them as a company . I hope their people can find work , even if it's in a nissan or toyota plant .

 

The Japs are killin us.

 

according to that linked article it looks like the unions are killing Ford

"Most manufacturers would have been forced to downsize a long time ago. However, like the other domestic automakers, Ford's union contracts limited its ability to trim manufacturing operations to match its greatly reduced market share.

Even if Ford boarded up all of its American factories tomorrow, it would still have to pay the 87,000 United Auto Workers members who labor in them, while also continuing to cover health care and pension costs not only for them, but also for twice that many UAW retirees and their dependents.

The plant closings and layoffs that Ford announces Monday will either require the approval of the UAW or have to wait until the current contract expires in 2007."

 

 

yea.. and our Minnesota based ranger plant is prolly gona shut down.. thats ****ing sad man...

 

Yea, and those 87,000 unionized workers that are keeping the company from "downsizing" wouldn't have jobs or homes if they weren't unionized. Instead of Ford blaming the their employee's labor union, they should blame who ever in their corperation it is that is incapable of marketing and sales strategies and maybe design and engineering as well?

 

 

"Ford has responded by cutting its white-collar work force, selling its Hertz rental car business and reshuffling senior management."

"In total, Ford is expected to reduce its North American factory capacity by about 25 percent, or more than 1 million units.
Including hourly and salaried job cuts, Ford will commit Monday to reducing its 120,000-member North American work force by about a quarter, according to people familiar with the plan.
Top executives will not be spared. Bill Ford also is expected to announce a significant reduction in the number of corporate officers at Ford by March 1, according to people familiar with the plan.
One of those expected to leave is Steve Lyons, group vice president over sales and marketing for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury."

does anyone read the whole article??

 

yea.. umm let one of us into that design and marketing job...perty sure any of us can engineer and market one hell of a nice ranger ..dam

 

damm

 

Well it's official...

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centr...s/13691367.htm

Looks like this is the direction FOrd wants to go.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/01/23/...eut/index.html And it looks like the Edge will be going into production.

 

yea.. right now as i type im listening to MN talk radio and its "garage logic" on right now and they are talkn about ford, and rangers.... and wtf they are thinking..


its kinda depressing

 

I really can't see them dropping the Ranger. I mean think of how many people use them for fleet vehicles. I can't see Sport-Tracs as a cheap and practicle work truck.

 

Ford will just import a Ranger like vehicle from over seas
then we can debate if it qualifies as "made in America" simply because it is a Ford

 

I am listening to that right now too. Yeah I agree.

 

lets not all forget, 2005 was the BIGGEST bonus for corporate america in history. everyone likes to blame the uniuons, unions keep big business from screwing the little guy. the ceo's and board of directors all got MILLIONS in bonuses. im sure that had something to do with it... and healthcare? it surprises me no one has realised this, everyone says "healthcare is killing these companies" yet no one wants to admit that healthcare in this country is designed soley for the super rich. cause their the only ones that can afford it. but, thats the way life is, you people wont actually start *****ing till the **** REALLY hits the fan, oh well, im off to work.

 

I must respectfully Disagree. Healthcare in this country is expensive. But that is because we have by far the Best Healthcare in the free world. It is safe trustworthy and accountable. If you want price controls on Healthcare you can kiss good bye to research and development, and hello to waiting lists and drug shortages. A company spends billions of dollars on Medical research and works for decades in order to get a new drug approved. Then They turn around and sell it with a patent in order to recoup their research costs and yes Make a Profit (what a Horrible thought!). Then they take that money and start new research. If you decide tomorrow that they can only sell there products for $X and it costs them $XX to make. They will not be making or researching new drugs. Hence waiting lists and shortages. Why are Canadians running across the border to pay extra for the health care here? So they don't have to deal with this. As far as Unions go, they are a great concept, but they are highly corrupted and could honestly care less about the workers. They are only interested in keeping the dues filling there pockets and not in the american workers. They are the reason why you can't get affordable labor in this country. If you had $XXX to invest and the unions say that you have to pay $XXXX for labor in the united States and in another country it is going to get better labor for $XX Where would you go? Whether or not Ford Effed up with their horrible designs in the last decade, they are in trouble. and what does the union Demand? More money and benefits. Whether or not The executives got bonuses is irrellevent. They always say that when times are tough. You don't know what they Got them for or if it even happened I need to see it in a published periodicle and not a union newsletter. You don't know the circumstances in which these so-called bonuses happened. Sometimes they have to offer these "bonuses" to people to keep them from leaving the corporation. Businees executives who make results are in high demand and unfortunatly for the company sometimes you have to pay in order to keep the good ones around. Don't tell me this is selfish cause every one of you would leave your Job today if someone offered you a significant increase. It is a Business not a charity. If the company is not performing you have to cut the Fat. If it wasn't for the union they could have started trimming years ago and it might have cost less Jobs. But because of the contracts if they wouyld have laid off those people they would still have to pay them, so you might as well have them standing around in the factory. I am not a current union employee, but I have been and I will tell you the Modern union encourages laziness and non productivity, and most importantly unaccountability. If My performance lags at my current Job I am out on the street. If I can't earn my Keep I am gone. I know countless union Employees whos attitude is "it will take an act of God to get me out of this Job."(I am quoting a buddy that works for Xcel Energy and whatever union that is, he also says he does about 15 minutes of real work a day and that it is the best deal he ever had. Less work=more pay) That is a attitude that is not how this country was founded. The original intent of a Union should be reinstated. It should be a measure of making sure the employees have a seat at the corporate table, not as a Nanny that takes care of everything that you are too lazy to do for yourself.

~HJ

 

John, I couldn't agree with you more.
I was set to type this huge paragraph, and you already wrote it for me!

 

I make more than union scale for a journeyman , as a non union apprentice plumber . I make more because I am damn good at my job and I work hard . And it's true that I am opportunistic . If I can make more money , for the same work ; I'll take it .

 

john... did you skip work today to write that!??.. lol

 

You know the funny part was I was at work when I wrote that! LOL I was on my coffee break that they give us but I don't drimk coffee, so I catch up on the forum.

 

+1 buy america, it can only help to help ourselves...

 

I worked 12 years in a UAW closed shop. When a union represents the people, it's a generally a good thing; it's the only way to stand ground against a government protected corporation. My old employer no longer exists, but not because of the union.

(lookup: Oligarchy)

But when the Union represents their own interests, it's bad. The workers get screwed by both the company, and the union.

"Healthcare" is another industry ruled by giantic protected corporations. Do you remember what it was like before the socialist HMO structure we have now?

As a future patient, I should start a Healthcare Patient's Union.