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Large-Scale Layoffs Averted At Ford's Avon Lake Plant

Ford's Avon Lake plant (Plain Dealer photo)
Ford's Avon Lake plant (Plain Dealer photo)

The arrangement means most Avon Lake employees will get 74 percent to 100 percent of their regular full-time pay.

Tim Rowe is lead negotiator for UAW Local 2000. At today’s press conference, Rowe said he’d just learned that Ford executives accepted his proposed business case that’ll begin in August.

"What that business case will do, they’re looking at rotation of approximately 1,000 production employees," explained Rowe. "That’s every two weeks. That’ll be two weeks on, two weeks off. Now that will do, that will protect those 900 employees who would’ve originally been impacted.”

Ford officials say the rotating shifts will continue until a new product launch in 2015.

Bruce Hettle -- Ford's North America manufacturing vice president -- says up to 200 plant workers whose jobs are at risk could be transferred to other Ford plants in the region.

In 2011, Ford announced plans to invest 128 million dollars in the Avon Lake plant and shift medium-duty truck production from Mexico.

(Story by ideastream's Brian Bull)