deflep1

Detroit Free Press just announced it. 6.6 Billion pretax profit in North America. Down a grand from last year.

That doesn't effect the profit sharing. Detroit Free Press just reported $6,600 average check. Ford made 6.6 Billion pretax for all of 2019 in North America.

The Yes votes are almost 62% currently company wide with a over a 6,000 vote cushion. Barring a 75-80% No vote from the Kentucky plants, the contract will be ratified. (Those 12,000 votes at Local 862 are the biggest chunk by far in the company) The final Yes percentage could be anywhere from the high 50's to the upper 60's depending on if they slightly reject it in KY or pass it with 2/3 support. We will know tomorrow in late afternoon. It will be interesting to see how Chrysler does their deal next.

Thanksgiving is the 28th this year, we get that check on Friday the 29th (Black Friday).

That day is Black Friday, you might get knocked over in your motorized cart...so be careful! LOL

The investment was for all current derivatives of the Mustang for the next 4 years, NOT for all all new model in 2023. $250 million would not cover the redesign, not even close! AWD was to be used on the CD6 platform, but if the Mustang isn't getting built on that platform, AWD is less likely, but could still happen.

4% lump sum bonus Dec 6

Nov 29

Not sure about that, but the union realized the contract could be voted down because of that specific provision. In progression weren't getting a 4% lump sum bonus until they maxed out at Legacy pay, because they were still getting raises every year. Workers with a seniority date before the ratification date were getting penalized by waiting too long for their 3% raise to kick in along with their 52 week raise. This was caught at Flat Rock's meeting and our chairman Larry Stewart said the highlights and tentative agreement didn't match correctly on this provision and needed to be changed. Other locals also caught it and notified the national bargaining committee, who talked to Ford yesterday.

The widebody Mustang was supposed to be a little wider with flared wheel wells like the Hellcats have that version. CD6 meant it could be built anywhere that platform was in use. If Ford is threatening to close Flat Rock and move the Mustang, why would they keep that platform unique and make it harder for any other plant to build it? Or will the new Mustang share a different platform with other new models in 3 years? It supposedly will be available in AWD in 2023, and will have share other platforms anyway.

Once again, Flat Rock was not informed of changing plans. Last spring and early summer we were told it was still a go for the CD6 platform. We don't keep up breaking info on Stamping and Body platforms, and they never bothered to tell us they changed their minds.. just like when losing the first small all electric Lincoln SUV, the autonomous vehicles or the second mid size all electric SUV (or hell, even the new paint shop!). Thanks for the update that Ford didn't want to tell us!

https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2019/11/08/uaw-ford-contract-agreement-raises/2525639001/ This should help get more yes votes. There were a lot of people voting NO because of this error in the language.

The Mustang is built on an unique platform and that has saved Flat Rock from losing it to another plant for a long time. The next generation Stang in 2023 will be built on the new CD6 platform, a widebody platform that all midsize vehicles will share. So Flat Rock could build mid size SUV's if they got a new paint shop and made alterations to the plant... OR, Ford could send the Mustang to a plant that makes mid size vehicles already. They love to leave us dangling, don't they?

I wasn't laughing at you, just the tax load you took on. I wasn't aware they were trying to bring people in from the outside. Thanks for supporting your fellow workers and I hope you get to fully enjoy all that OT money when you retire, you have earned it!

I was referring to production workers never getting enough hours to worry about getting a 12K profit sharing check. A few skilled trades working killer overtime for the whole year could hit that mark. You had about 3800 hours in ($3.36 x 3817 hours = $12825), that's averaging over 73 hours each week for the entire year. 99% of Ford workers will never even get offered that many hours in a year, let alone actually work that many. GM workers could have worked almost a third less hours than you and still get 12K profit sharing. As Ford makes less and less profit, (we'll be around 6.5 - 7 billion this year) and the profit sharing factor (multiplier) goes down, you would have to work over 4000 hours to hit a 12K check. You are the lucky unicorn that people hear of, but will probably never meet someone making that high of a profit sharing check. At my plant (Flat Rock) we haven't even made the average check in 7 of the last 9 years, unless you were in PDI. Skilled trades didn't make as much as hourly there. Uncle Sam must love you, did you get a thank you card from the IRS? LOL

You do get a higher profit sharing check based on the total number of hours worked, but it's based on your company's profit the previous year. GM made 12 billion in profit, so the average check was around 12K. Because of the cap, the workers COULDN'T exceed that limit even if they had hundreds of extra hours of overtime. Ford has made 7-8 billion for awhile, so if the average was 8K, you could get 10 or 11K if you made 150K+. You times your total hours by the profit sharing formula multiplier (usually $3.30 or so) to get your check total. GM's multiplier is much higher to start with, so they will make more than us with hardly any overtime.

If you are age 57 or older, you have 85 points (age + years of service) and can retire anyway. Ask at the info meeting and also ask your benefit rep if you are eligible for the buyout.

It's also real smart to get the 30 year people out because Ford doesn't pay for healthcare once they retire, VEBA, run by the union, covers it.

That product is an all electric SUV that we lost at Flat Rock. This is the second one we lost in 2 years.

We lost an all electric SUV for the second time in 2 years. We also lost the autonomous vehicle production recently. The Continental goes away in 21, we need more products! Ford says they are actively looking for a new product to give us.

Unlike GM who will only let 2,000 workers take the 60K to retire, Ford shows no limit on the number of takers. There will probably be 4 or 5 thousand people who take that deal. Probably 500 alone at Flat Rock. It took me 21 years to crack the top 1,000 in seniority and I might end up in the top 400 by February. Might finally be able to get into PDI.

We're never going to make 12 billion in profit, so it doesn't really matter.

I checked all over on line before 2pm and not much was showing up. I watched the Detroit local channels for the 5pm news and still not much. I should have checked the Detroit newspapers sites in the mean time, that's where all the good info was being posted. Their papers are too expensive and I have no time to read them at work, but I might try their apps. They seem quicker to post things than the Channel 2, 4 or 7 apps. Thanks

I try to be positive about it, but when I get 27 years in, knowing it should be 30...I might be a LITTLE bitter then! LOL

GM also has more money than Ford and were trying to end a strike that cost them almost 3 Billion dollars. Those workers got only strike pay for 6 weeks and will need ALL of the signing bonus AND 4% lump sum bonus to catch up on their bills. If we approve this contract, those will be ACTUAL bonuses and not just money to recoup our losses. That's the first I've heard about the temp signing bonus, thanks for that info.