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Ford
workers
narrowly
approve
new
contract
with UAW
By
Dee-Ann
Durbin
Associated
Press
DETROIT
- Ford
workers
narrowly
approved
a new
four-year
contract,
wrapping
up five
months
of
negotiations
between
the
United
Auto
Workers
union
and
Detroit
automakers.
The UAW
said
late
Friday
that
Ford's
contract
passed
with a
51.4-percent
vote.
The
agreement
covers
53,000
U.S.
hourly
workers
at 22
plants.
"There
is no
higher
authority
than the
membership.
Through
a fair
and
democratic
process
UAW-Ford
members
have
delivered
job
security
and
strong
economic
gains
for
their
families
and
communities,"
said UAW
Vice
President
Jimmy
Settles,
the
union's
top Ford
negotiator,
in a
statement.
Union
leaders
held a
press
conference
earlier
this
week to
push for
the Ford
agreement
when
they
feared
workers
would
reject
it. Some
workers
said the
union
didn't
push
hard
enough
to win
back
things
they
lost in
previous
agreements,
including
annual
wage
increases.
They
also
wanted a
two-tier
wage
system
eliminated
immediately
instead
of over
eight
years,
as the
contract
promises.
But
union
leaders
warned
that
they
might
not get
a better
deal
from
Ford if
workers
rejected
the
agreement
and sent
them
back to
the
bargaining
table.
"If we
thought
there
was
another
dollar
on the
table,
we would
have got
it the
first
time,"
said
Bernie
Ricke,
the
president
of Local
600, a
large
union in
Ford's
hometown
of
Dearborn.
The
contract
raises
wages
for all
workers
and
gradually
eliminates
the
two-tier
system,
which
currently
pays
newer
workers
less
than
veteran
ones. It
promises
bonuses
of up to
$10,250
per
worker
this
year and
annual
profit-sharing
checks
and
other
bonuses
each
year
after
that.
The
contract
also
guarantees
$9
billion
in
investments
at
Ford's
U.S.
plants
over
four
years.
Ford
said it
was
pleased
with the
vote.
"This
agreement
provides
a good
foundation
for Ford
Motor
Company,
our
employees
and our
communities
as we
work
together
to
create
an even
stronger
business
in the
years
ahead,"
Ford's
labor
chief,
John
Fleming,
said in
a
statement.
Ford was
the last
of the
Detroit
automakers
to win
approval
for its
contract.
Fiat
Chrysler
workers
approved
their
contract
in
October.
General
Motors'
contract
was
approved
earlier
Friday
after
extended
negotiations
with
skilled
trades
workers
like
electricians,
who had
initially
rejected
it. The
contracts
cover
around
142,000
workers
in all.
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