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Breaking: Ford Michigan Assembly To Cut Nearly 700 Jobs This Summer

If you are one of the thousands of North American drivers in possession of a Ford Focus or a Ford C-Max, you’re already familiar with the work of employees at the Ford Michigan Assembly plant in Wayne, Michigan. Unfortunately, you’re also a member of a declining customer base; combined sales of the Focus and C-Max are down 22 percent this year, after having already fallen 15 percent last year.

And of course, as Automotive News reports, this means job cuts; nearly 700 Tier 2 workers will be cut from the Ford Michigan Assembly staff over the coming months to avoid exceeding demand. AN states that the plant will shed some 200 (mostly hourly) jobs late this June, another 200 in July, and another 300 or so in September. A total 673 entry-level hourly jobs are expected to be lost, along with 27 salaried positions.

But company Spokeswoman Kristina Adamski stated that the automaker is confident it can find a majority of these displaced Ford Michigan Assembly workers other full-time positions. Until such a time, these employees will be eligible to receive 13 to 26 weeks of supplemental pay, though the amount would likely be around half what they had been earning. These workers can still qualify for unemployment benefits, however.

While the recent announcement of a $2.5 billion investment toward Ford operations in Mexico has upset many in the UAW, the news of these impending lay-offs from the Ford Michigan Assembly plant seems to have been met with somewhat less derision. Said UAW Vice President Jimmy Settles: “We are reminded from time to time that our industry is cyclical and volatile to market conditions.

“Fortunately, through collective bargaining we have been able to negotiate provisions throughout the years that allow protections for our members adversely affected by production reductions.”

Aaron Birch is an automotive enthusiast and writer/filmmaker from Detroit, MI. As a rule, he only buys cars older than himself.

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