Ford Hopes Dim as Workers Veto Changes

Ford Motor Co.'s hopes for a cost-cutting labor agreement grew dimmer, with a key local union in Kentucky rejecting changes to workers' contracts.

In this Oct. 26, 2009 photo, the Ford logo is seen on the automaker's headquarters in Dearborn,...

In this Oct. 26, 2009 photo, the Ford logo is seen on the automaker's headquarters in Dearborn, Mich. Workers at two more United Auto Workers locals overwhelmingly rejected changes to their contract with Ford Motor Co. on Thursday Oct. 29, 2009, casting further doubt on whether the deal will be approved.(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

(AP)

Eighty-four percent of workers at United Auto Workers Local 862 in Louisville voted against the changes, local President Rocky Comito said late Friday. Comito said workers felt they were being asked to give more than the company's executives.

"Some want to see management give more at the upper level," Comito said. The Louisville local represents 5,000 workers.

Another large local in Ford's home city of Dearborn also was voting Friday. By late Friday night, officials hadn't announced the results for UAW Local 600, which represents 8,000 Ford workers. But workers at the Dearborn Truck Plant, one of the plants represented by Local 600, rejected the contract by a 93 percent vote, according to Gary Walkowicz, a member of the bargaining committee at the plant who has been leading opposition to the contract changes.

The votes continued a string of defeats for Ford and the UAW, which reached the cost-cutting agreement two weeks ago but need workers to ratify it. Ford has a total of 41,000 workers represented by the UAW.

Exact tallies weren't available, but at least 11 UAW locals representing about 19,500 workers have voted down the deal, many overwhelmingly. Only about four locals with a total of 7,000 members have favored the pact.

Speaking at a community event in Detroit on Friday, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said there won't be a revote if the contract changes fail.

"If it fails, there would be no reason to go back to the bargaining table," Gettelfinger said. "We have a democratic process in place. People have a right to express themselves. We recognize there's a lot of misinformation about it out there, but that is what it is."

Ford sought the deal to bring its labor costs in line with Detroit rivals Chrysler Group LLC and General Motors Co., both of which won concessions from the union as they headed into bankruptcy protection earlier this year. If the agreement fails, Ford will have higher labor costs than competitors and therefore a tougher time turning a profit.