UAW members OK 4-year Ford contract

DETROIT, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- United Auto Workers members at Ford Motor Co. approved a new four-year contract by the widest margin of any auto company, the union said in Detroit Wednesday.

The union said 81 percent of production workers and 71 percent of skilled-trades workers voted to approve the contract.

General Motors Corp. workers ratified their contract with less than two-thirds of members voting to approve the deal Oct. 10. Less than 55 percent of Chrysler LLC rank-and-file approved their contract Oct. 27.

The Ford agreement covers 54,000 active workers, 98,000 retirees and 28,000 surviving spouses, The Detroit News reported.

The UAW "came away with a creative agreement that addresses the concerns of our members, and also gives the company the opportunity to move forward," union President Ron Gettelfinger said in a statement.

"Now it's up to Ford to successfully bring to market the top-quality vehicles our members are building in UAW Ford factories," he said.

The three contracts have a number of similarities.

Notably, they each include the creation of a voluntary employee benefit association, which will take responsibility for retiree healthcare benefits. They also contain a two-tier wage structure that lets newly hired workers get sharply lower wages and less-generous benefits than current UAW employees.