Ford Puts in Place Parking Restrictions for Plants

[mw3538]

Ford bans competitors' vehicles from lot
Firm's Dearborn Truck Plant will require employees to drive a Ford or park across the street.



NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Employees at Ford's Dearborn Truck Plant in Dearborn, Mich., will have to drive Ford Motor Co. vehicles to work or park across the street, the plant manager announced earlier this week.

The new parking policy, which is scheduled to take effect Feb. 1, was instituted by plant manager Rob Webber just as Ford reported losses of $1.6 billion from its North American auto operations in 2005 and Monday announced plans to close 14 plants and cut 30,000 jobs as it tries to reverse losses and respond to declining U.S. market share.

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[jwrebholz]

Seriously. Every car company does this.

Although I wonder...if I drove, say, a mid-60s E-type Jag, would they let me park in the Ford lot? Ford DOES own Jaguar after all...

[CHRISGTO04]

Originally Posted by jwrebholz

Seriously. Every car company does this.

Although I wonder...if I drove, say, a mid-60s E-type Jag, would they let me park in the Ford lot? Ford DOES own Jaguar after all...

if, butts, candy, and nuts, we'd all have a wonderful Christmas.

[mw3538]

Why would they? Hell might as well tell them if you own a ford that is over 5 years old, you park accross the street as well. I'm not in the business, so I guess I don't understand. I could see maybe if were a non domestic car you were driving.

[mobyss]

I wonder if Toyota will do this at their big new Texas truck plant?

No - that would be stupid - the domain of Ford and sometimes GM.

[mw3538]

Thanks Ming.

[darndot]

I would you think the Jag would work. What if GM did this? Could you drive a daewoo, or a subaru?

[Bravada]

I understand it for one reason - every time I see a car plant in a photo or on TV and I see those cars from other automakers on the parking lot, it looks silly to me. I mean, if even the guy working at the actual factory won't have one, there has to be something off about it.

They don't tell you to get rid of your non-Ford vehicle. Just don't park it in front of the factory. I don't think that's such a terrible thing, plus it's a nice incentive to buy a vehicle from the company that employs you. I remember Mazda in Japan forcing all employees to get new Mazdas plus peddling them to all family members and friends in the bad times. Now THAT was something I would not bear.

[CHRISGTO04]

It seems a little harsh, but it makes sense. If you work at Ford, support the company that feeds your family and will pay your pension when your old and grey. People who work at Ford and drives anything other than a Ford product then they are their own problem.

[drew630]

GM did this a while back at my dads Saginaw plant, they stopped doing it when Delphi took over.

[camaro_freak]

Originally Posted by darndot

I would you think the Jag would work. What if GM did this? Could you drive a daewoo, or a subaru?

good questions.. are foreign cars allowed if they have partnered or worked with Ford before?

hell that would open up just about every foreign manufacturer. I understand the reasons why something like this would be implemented but how do you draw the line at what is "FORD" especially in a global economy and what is anit-FORD?

[jarsworldcom]

If my plant did that there would be no were to park my Magnum.

[soloyosh]

Harley's been doing this for years.

On the Jag thing, I think you'd be okay. In Ford's 100th anniversary literature it talks about the company coming up with "groundbreaking cars" like the Mustang and the e-type Jag. I guess in Ford's eyes if you buy the company you get to claim the history too.

For Subaru/GM maybe you could only own the Subaru that was built under the GM umbrella. So no Brats and no B9.

Cheers
Brett

[SaabKing]

Originally Posted by jwrebholz

Seriously. Every car company does this.

Although I wonder...if I drove, say, a mid-60s E-type Jag, would they let me park in the Ford lot? Ford DOES own Jaguar after all...

Not true, my father retired from the Doraville plant and a co worker in his department drove a Lexus RX330. They gave him a hard time for it, and made it so he parked under a telephone pole were birds sat so it was always getting "bombed"

In the end now that he will be without a job, it serves him right.

[moman]

Ford bans competitors' vehicles from lot
Firm's Dearborn Truck Plant will require employees to drive a Ford or park across the street.
By David Ellis, CNNMoney.com staff writer
January 27, 2006: 2:31 PM EST


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Employees at Ford's Dearborn Truck Plant in Dearborn, Mich., will have to drive Ford Motor Co. vehicles to work or park across the street, the plant manager announced earlier this week.

The new parking policy, which is scheduled to take effect Feb. 1, was instituted by plant manager Rob Webber just as Ford reported losses of $1.6 billion from its North American auto operations in 2005 and Monday announced plans to close 14 plants and cut 30,000 jobs as it tries to reverse losses and respond to declining U.S. market share.
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Ford Motor is closing plants across North America and cutting thousands of jobs. CNN's Ali Velshi reports (January 23)
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The Dearborn Truck Plant, which represents one portion of the Rouge facility, has 2,600 union employees and makes the F-150 pickup truck, the best selling vehicle in the United States.

A Ford spokesman told CNNMoney the company supported the move, although it had not been extended to the other North American manufacturing facilities.

Officials with UAW Local 600, who backed the announcement, are scheduled to conduct talks with management next week to finalize the details and discuss expanding the ban across the entire Rouge facility, union president Jerry Sullivan told CNNMoney.

"There has to be something put in place to grab people's attention and to make a statement that this is a serious thing," said Sullivan, whose union represents approximately 8,000 workers at the larger Rouge complex. "It's up to us to stand up and do what is right and to drive a vehicle from the company you work for."

The Dearborn Truck Plant parking policy will allow vehicles made by non-U.S. Ford brands such as Mazda, Volvo and Land Rover, Sullivan said.

The Detroit News, which first reported the story Friday, said the new parking policy in Dearborn was embraced by factory employees at a meeting to discuss the auto manufacturer's latest restructuring plan.

But one plant employee, who did not want to be quoted, told the paper he wasn't happy he would no longer be able to drive his Chrysler to the factory.

"They can't tell you how to spend your money," said one veteran tradesman. "It's still a free country." He said he got a better deal on his Chrysler than he could on a Ford.

"I got to go where I can get the most bang for my buck," he said.
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http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/27/news...ex.htm?cnn=yes