| Ford Motor Co. will be offering buyouts or | | | | has the best information available to make |
| early retirement packages to its 75,000 | | | | that decision." |
| hourly-paid employees. The offer will be | | | | |
| available to said employees starting Oct. 16. | | | | Ford has earlier publicized its intention to |
| Moreover, salaried workers are given more | | | | cut approximately 30,000 hourly jobs and |
| than one chance to accept a buyout. However, | | | | 14,000 salaried jobs by the end of 2008. Said |
| employees who are represented by the United | | | | cut will trim down Ford's total North |
| Auto Workers union must have decided before | | | | American work force by 29 percent. From about |
| Nov. 27. After said date, they can no longer | | | | 130,000, current work force, it will be |
| claim the option to choose either one of | | | | reduced to about 92,000. |
| eight buyout programs or stay on with Ford. | | | | |
| | | | Mulloy refused to divulge the number of |
| The programs to be offered by Ford comprise | | | | workers who are expected to take a buyout |
| lump-sum payments of up to $140,000 as well | | | | package. However, he said that the buyouts |
| as reimbursement of tuition besides the | | | | will take effect next year. Ford will begin |
| traditional early-retirement packages. The | | | | with the briefing with employees on Tuesday. |
| Dearborn-based automaker, which is famous for | | | | The briefing will be about their eligibility |
| its best-selling Ford F-Series pickup parts | | | | for a range of early retirement incentives. |
| and trucks, have started its educational | | | | Mulloy also noted, "Most people will start |
| workshops and career fairs. This is done to | | | | leaving after the first of the year." |
| lend a hand to blue-collar workers in | | | | |
| weighing available career options. | | | | Those employees who will accept buyouts are |
| | | | expected to leave Ford by the end of |
| "We've put what we think is a very generous | | | | September next year. This fact was announced |
| offer on the table," Martin Mulloy, Ford's | | | | to the media by Marcey Evans, spokeswoman of |
| vice president of labor relations, said | | | | the automaker. |
| Monday. "We want to make sure each employee | | | | |