Ford, GM in new jobs bonanza
2011-10-10 12:27
SMILES ALL ROUND: Ford's scheduling of thousands of new jobs at plants across the US even had US president Barack Obama smiling.
Author: Matthew Rusling
WASHINGTON, US - America's United Auto Workers have announced a deal with Ford to add nearly 6000 jobs to the automaker's US operation.
The agreement, awaiting ratification by UAW members, would mean a total of more than 12 000 new jobs, including those previously announced by Ford, United Auto Workers president Bob King said.
Ford said it would be "in-sourcing" jobs from Mexico, Japan and China.
GM ADDING 6000 JOBS
The tentative agreement comes at a time when the US economy continues its halting recovery from the worst recession in decades. The car industry has been hit particularly hard with tens of thousands of US workers have been laid off in recent years.
"The American auto industry is on its way back," King said, noting too competitor General Motors' addition of more than 6000 jobs last week.
King said each auto manufacturing job supported 10 additional jobs among parts suppliers and other automotive-related companies.
The proposed deal includes a $16-billion investment by 2015 to produce new models and upgraded vehicles, of which more than $6-billion will be spent by Ford to retool and upgrade plants, according to the UAW.
The UAW represents about 41 000 workers at 27 Ford manufacturing and assembly facilities in the US that assemble vehicles under the Ford and Lincoln brands.
