DETROIT — Ford’s second enterprise-wide job-reduction program since 2006 kicks off today, and the automaker has sweetened the deals to encourage workers to leave the company voluntarily, rather than implement involuntary layoffs.
In an effort to get at least 8,000 of its 64,000 remaining autoworkers to leave the company this time, Ford is now offering a total of 10 buyout and early-retirement packages to workers. Workers must make their mind up by March 17.
On Monday, Ford spokeswoman Marcey Evans also said that the automaker would match General Motors’ recent offerings by giving employees eligible for early retirement the choice of being paid in cash or through tax-deferred options, such as rolling the money into a retirement account.
All the moves are part of Ford’s effort to match the size of its operations to shrinking demand. In 2007, Ford sales declined 12 percent, leaving the company with just 15.8 percent of the U.S. new-vehicle market.
