Whither the white collar: Ford set to buyout 10,000 salaried workers
Here come the pink slips for the white-collar guys and gals at Ford. And to speed up the exodus, 6 preprogrammed tags have been added to those termination notices. Actually, Ford Motor Co. is starting to offer buyouts to many of its salaried employees to help trim its U.S. payroll. As many as 85 percent of each department's workers will get the option of the buyout. Ford is looking to rid itself of 10,000 of its 38,500 salaried workers by 2008. If the buyouts don't produce big enough cuts, layoffs will be used. Ford already got 38,000 hourly workers to sign up for buyout programs earlier this year. This new program was started in October. They started making the offers to salaried workers and senior managers and are now going after lower level managers and non-management workers.
Follow the jump for more details.
[Source: The Detroit News]
Managers are being given additional training in helping to present the offers to effected workers. It can't be easy during the Holidays especially, and most of the workers only have until Jan. 5 to decide. Although it is a serious matter, there is an almost comical part of the training that gives managers 6 options to choose to tell workers why they are no longer needed:
"You are part of a group that was selected for reductions based on business reasons."
"Your position may be eliminated or downgraded."
"Your skills are not in line with future business plans."
"You are unlikely to have your career ambitions met."
"You are presently on a protected grade and there is not a strong likelihood of being able to return to your prior level."
"You meet the service requirements and we have a salaried cost target to meet."
However they choose to word it, these salaried buyouts and layoffs will be much tougher on Ford and the workers. Placing hourly workers or getting them into reeducation programs is much easier than doing the same for managers and the like. Hopefully those that get the offers will be able to use them to their best advantage and layoffs won't be necessary.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
John M 10:19AM (12/12/2006)
You should correct your mistake in the title of this article; you mean WHITHER, not wither.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=whither
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=wither
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Greg 10:52AM (12/12/2006)
It's a real shame watching the workforce of America continue to dwindle down.
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Richard Warren 11:12AM (12/12/2006)
"Managers are being given additional training in helping to present the offers to effected workers."
Here is my boot, there is your ass, have a nice Christmas and wish the family a happy New Year.
I've always liked this approach: "All of you who still have a job here please step forward. Not so fast you 10,000."
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Chris Goldrick 11:45AM (12/12/2006)
If these workers are now deemed unnecessary, then why in hell were their positions created in the first place?
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eed 11:08AM (12/12/2006)
It's an even bigger shame that a company has to PAY someone not to work for them any longer...
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Ron 11:16AM (12/12/2006)
Do the preprogrammed tags include $500 off any Ford model?
Sorry, couldn't resist.
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RR 11:17AM (12/12/2006)
The managers should have been the first to go. They are the ones making the boneheaded decisions that has put Ford and GM in the red over the past 20+ years.
Arrogance will do that.
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Vinny 11:50AM (12/12/2006)
They were deemed unnecessary once their products they designed weren't selling.
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Professor Porsche 12:00PM (12/12/2006)
I have lived in the area for two and a half decades, have taught grad classes to these white-collar engineers working at Ford specifically. Their Math skills were pitiful, and many must have been hired under PC criteria.
many of them (and their colleagues at GM so-called RESEARCH (LOL) Labs apparently never had enough work to do, so they had second jobs as real estate agents and the like.
Their moral at FOrd was low decades ago, they KNEW they were producing pieces of crap DESIGNED to last 100,000 miles (cars) and 150,000 miles (trucks), and not 250,000 and 500,000 miles like their Honda and Toyota Competitors
In fact many left for Toyota and were telling me that they were doing much better because of the far better WORK ENVIRONMENT.
They finally could TAKE PRIDE in their Product.
My comment regarding all these 10,000s of white collar workers is:
I am SURE they are not blind and deaf; they KNEW what was going on and what a pathetic outfit they were working for.
They KNEW all about the Pitiful CEOS in bed with the corrupt UAW leadership and their anti-competitive rules that allowed workers to be fully paid while DOING NOTHING (Jobs' bank)
WHY did they stay there and not look for a job in a DECENT Manufacturer instead?
MAYBE they were not Good enough, and the job was just right for them?
IF not, they were damned fools to stay with Ford.
And that's the honest truth.
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Richard Warren 1:48PM (12/12/2006)
"I have lived in the area for two and a half decades, have taught grad classes"
"many of them (and their colleagues at GM so-called RESEARCH (LOL) Labs apparently never had enough work to do, so they had second jobs as real estate agents and the like."
No caps at start of sentence
"Their moral at FOrd was low decades ago"
That would be morale and Ford.
"Pitiful CEOS" CEO'S
Professor Porsche you may have taught grad school, but from the errors here perhaps you should take pride in your job as well.
I'll be the first to admit my typing skills are not great, but if you are someone teaching grad school, well----
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Andy 1:21PM (12/12/2006)
Wow, everything's nicely black and white in your tidy little world, eh, Professor Porsche? Nothing like sweeping generalizations and unsubstantiated allegations to make your points.
Like me saying something like: "Those who can't do, teach". Or in your case, post comments to blogs.
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Professor Porsche 1:37PM (12/12/2006)
YEah, right, sour grapes and old cliches.
I do NOT "teach". Hiugh school retarded Ed Majors teach.
But what would YOU KNOW.
I am a tenured faculty in the nations No. 1 RESEARCH Univ., and the No. 1 is NOT some subjective BS ranking BUT an OBJECTIVE ranking (largest sponsored research among ALL US Univs for years now).
But I do not expect you to get ANY of this.
PS Academics are routinely stunned when the TRUE BLUE MORONS in the Industry cannot even TELL THEM WHAT THEIR PROBLEMS ARE when they go do some lucrative consulting (of which we are allowed one day every week despite being fully paid).
Which reminds me of the definition of a consultant
Morons in the industry hire a consultant and ask him what time it is,
and the consultant promptly borrows THEIR WATCH and tells them.
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Professor Porsche 2:02PM (12/12/2006)
Richard Warren
Or Cheapshot Warren:
I have NO TIME to EDIT my posts. Go ahead and take all cheap shots you want.
I do TYPOS because of the above, and I am not a secretary anyway, I have never taken fast typing lessons, but I seldom if ever do spelling errors.
And even tho english was NOT my FIRST language, I ROUTINELY write far better than any Locals I know and routinely correct their writeups.
BUT they do not pay me six figures to be a SPELLING BEE, they can always hire a $20k a year Editor for that.
NOW, Cheap Shot Warren, can you challenge ANY of the FACTS I listed in my original post?
I thought so...
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Jason_801 2:14PM (12/12/2006)
You have time to post three times on Autoblog, then say you don't have time to edit your posts so you don't sound like you're nine years old? Bullshit, you're no professor. You communicate like my garbageman.
Whoops, sorry. I'll say that last part so you can understand it.
YU communcate LIKE mY garbgeMAN.
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Andy 2:25PM (12/12/2006)
I call BS on Professor Porsche...my Dad was a 'tenured' Biology Professor and managed to type correctly, chew gum, and understand complex concepts at the same time.
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Professor Porsche 2:37PM (12/12/2006)
the garbage is in YOUR Cheap shots.
Your tiny brains fail to realize that I CANNOT fulfill my obligations AND type my INFORMATIVE POSTS HERE AND edit them to your satisfaction.
OBVIOUSLY, the LESS Crucial of the above is the EDITING, Mr. Cheap Shots Warren and ANDY.
And I will NOT let you clowns off the hook:
TELL ME ONE FACT out of the MANY in my posts that is WRONG.
I guessed so...
CLOWNS...
You DESERVE what you are.
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Andy 2:39PM (12/12/2006)
Oh, and no one can challenge your 'facts', Professor Putz, because they aren't 'facts', merely conjecture, anecdotal information, and implied expertise. (Is the Janitor at "the nations number 1 RESEARCH univ."* better than a janitor at a community college?)
Please cite some of your peer-reviewed, published research, so we can comment on that.
*A dubious claim at best, since academic research is generally specialized
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Professor Porsche 2:50PM (12/12/2006)
GARBAGE heaped on previous garbage by the usual losers.
SOUR GRAPES.
AND trying to get OFF the SUBJECT?
Which was NEVER what I am and what I Do and how DIstinguished I am (the "D" word is part of my TITLE, you worthless buffoon)
BUT THE SORRY STATE OF FORD AND WHO IS TO BLAME.
If you cannot comment on the SUBJECT, get your sorry ass OUT OF THIS FORUM
CLowns...
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Andy 3:04PM (12/12/2006)
It is entirely on topic to logically refute specious arguments.
Unlike yourself, I have not used this forum to disparage you personally.
As I do not work for Ford, but another OEM you positively refer to, I am qualifed (more so than you have been able to claim) that your assertions are grossly inaccurate and reflect a basic lack of historical, practical, and functional knowledge regarding the auto industry.
In short, I'm smarter, more successful, and better looking than you are.
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Richard Warren 3:58PM (12/12/2006)
Well, MEAP scores for Michigan have improved by a pretty healthy amount over the last few years. African American and white scores both improved. Math scores are problematic in virtually any school syste as well as reading. Michigans math scores are in the middle of the pack with the highest scores being, California, the lowest being Hawaii. (Fordham report)
There are any number of tests for any number of results.
"In fact many left for Toyota and were telling me that they were doing much better because of the far better WORK ENVIRONMENT" Numbers please.
"WHY did they stay there and not look for a job in a DECENT Manufacturer instead?"
Because they had family in the area perhaps? Had a good paying job? Had what they thought was some job security? Had a good benefits plan and felt that upper management could turn it around? Had a solid network of friends, kids in school?
"MAYBE they were not Good enough, and the job was just right for them?"
I know a good number of GM, Ford, and yes Honda employees. All not just Toyota are proud of the company they work for. Yes, the Ford and GM worker have some low morale, but many see a lot of light if management does it's job.
Based on your poorly worded, spelling and punctuated responses, I'm not sure you good enough to be teaching grad classes regardless of your degree. Typing skills a whole different matter and I confess I'm not the best by a long shot.
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