The cuts would be in addition to 33,600 union workers who left through buyouts and early retirements in 2006 and 2007, when Ford lost a combined $15.3 billion.
Further reductions may help Ford restore profit by speeding hiring of new workers who would be paid about half as much as current employees. Ford doesn’t have an estimate of how many workers will accept buyouts, proposed to a first group of workers last month, the person said. The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker won’t limit the number who leave if more than the target range of 8,000 to 9,000 opt for offers, the person said. Marcey Evans, a Ford spokeswoman, declined to comment.
The Detroit Free Press reported that Ford had an internal target of 8,000, citing people familiar with the objective. That reduction would represent more than 12 per cent of Ford’s North American factory workers.
