Ford offers hourly employees another round

In yet another sign that the tough times are far from over at Ford, the automaker will begin extending more buyout offers to hourly employees at over a dozen of its domestic assembly plants. Many plants pegged for the offers are those where truck or SUV production cuts have been made, resulting in a surplus of workers.

The latest round of buyouts are scheduled to begin next week, according to Automotive News. Among the facilities on the list are the Louisville, Kentucky, plant where the F-Series Super Duty trucks and Ford Explorer are built; the Wayne, Michigan, plant where the Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and Ford Focus are produced; the Avon Lake, Ohio, plant where E-Series vans are made; and the Dearborn, Michigan, truck plant where the Ford F-150 and soon to be axed Lincoln Mark LT are built. Other plants will be added to the list in the coming weeks.

The last round of Ford buyouts was offered this past June to hourly employees at selected Kentucky and Ohio plants -- some of which are targeted again by the current buyout offers. Previously, April buyouts fell short of goals by eliminating only around half of the 8000 positions Ford sought to axe. Among the plants avoiding buyouts are the ones reportedly being retooled for small car production.

Ford plans to release its second-quarter financial results this Thursday.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)