Newscasts Overlook Fords Costly Severance Programs
Published: 1/24/2006 3:00 PM ET
The January 23 editions of the network newscasts led with layoffs at
Ford Motor Company (NYSE:
F),
detailing the number of jobs to be lost and the plants slated for
closing, showcasing the reactions of Ford employees. Journalists
blamed lagging sales and the prices of steel and oil for Fords
troubles. Yet none of the networks balanced its reporting with a
mention of Fords costly severance packages, including a 25-year-old
jobs bank program and an alternative plan which pays out
$15,000-per-year in tuition assistance.
ABCs Dean Reynolds assessed the automakers financial woes on World News Tonight: Ford was whipsawed by rising oil and steel prices that came at the same time customers lost interest in the SUVs the company was still pushing its inability to adjust to changing American tastes put it at a competitive disadvantage.
But thats not the end of the story, thanks to union-driven benefits that have been costing the company millions.
Jobs banks have been around for a quarter century, started in 1984 at the behest of the United Auto Workers union to help laid-off workers. Detroit Free Press reporter Michael Ellis noted in a January 24 article that Fords version of the program, the Guaranteed Employment Numbers or GEN provides a safety net for workers during a downturn.
Ellis cited a Ford spokeswoman reporting that wages and benefits paid annually to hourly workers average about $130,000 per person, which Ellis calculated would run Ford around $140 million per year to fund GEN.
In lieu of the traditional but costly jobs bank program, Ford is also offering workers an alternative plan which covers tuition assistance. The January 23 Atlanta Journal-Constitution explained that Ford will pay up to $15,000 a year, directly to the institutions the workers attend. In addition, former employees will receive an annual stipend equal to about half what they were making at Ford, excluding overtime. Medical coverage for the former employee and his or her family will continue during the process.
While none of the evening newscasts reported these details, ABCs Mellody Hobson mentioned the automakers severance plans in her January 24 online finance column, which featured advice for recovering from a job layoff.
Also missing from network reporting was the fact that despite recent layoffs by Ford and General Motors Corp., the auto industry is in America is still vibrant, thanks to foreign companies opening plants in the United States. Micheline Maynard reported in the January 24 New York Times that manufacturing expert James Womack estimates there are 1.1 million Americans employed in auto manufacturing, including manufacturing parts like engines and transmissions. Maynard added that foreign companies employ about 60,000 and are growing, with companies like Toyota and Nissan opening new plants or expanding operations in states like Texas and Mississippi.
ABCs Dean Reynolds assessed the automakers financial woes on World News Tonight: Ford was whipsawed by rising oil and steel prices that came at the same time customers lost interest in the SUVs the company was still pushing its inability to adjust to changing American tastes put it at a competitive disadvantage.
But thats not the end of the story, thanks to union-driven benefits that have been costing the company millions.
Jobs banks have been around for a quarter century, started in 1984 at the behest of the United Auto Workers union to help laid-off workers. Detroit Free Press reporter Michael Ellis noted in a January 24 article that Fords version of the program, the Guaranteed Employment Numbers or GEN provides a safety net for workers during a downturn.
Ellis cited a Ford spokeswoman reporting that wages and benefits paid annually to hourly workers average about $130,000 per person, which Ellis calculated would run Ford around $140 million per year to fund GEN.
In lieu of the traditional but costly jobs bank program, Ford is also offering workers an alternative plan which covers tuition assistance. The January 23 Atlanta Journal-Constitution explained that Ford will pay up to $15,000 a year, directly to the institutions the workers attend. In addition, former employees will receive an annual stipend equal to about half what they were making at Ford, excluding overtime. Medical coverage for the former employee and his or her family will continue during the process.
While none of the evening newscasts reported these details, ABCs Mellody Hobson mentioned the automakers severance plans in her January 24 online finance column, which featured advice for recovering from a job layoff.
Also missing from network reporting was the fact that despite recent layoffs by Ford and General Motors Corp., the auto industry is in America is still vibrant, thanks to foreign companies opening plants in the United States. Micheline Maynard reported in the January 24 New York Times that manufacturing expert James Womack estimates there are 1.1 million Americans employed in auto manufacturing, including manufacturing parts like engines and transmissions. Maynard added that foreign companies employ about 60,000 and are growing, with companies like Toyota and Nissan opening new plants or expanding operations in states like Texas and Mississippi.
