Smartpo 2008-4-23 09:11
Ford hiring
Ford hiring
'Now we are opening up the application process to the general public'
Chris Vander Doelen, The Windsor Star
Published: Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Ford of Canada will hire up to 500 new people outside of its current laid-off Windsor ranks to staff a third shift in Oakville after only 150 of those out of work in this region agreed to move.
With a rare open hire call that hasn't been heard in years from a Big Three employer, Ford has invited any member of the public to apply for the jobs now that members of CAW Local 200 have been given first crack at the positions. The deadline for applications is May 1.
Some members of Local 200 had thought more of the 700-plus laid-off Windsor Ford workers would agree to move. But local president Mike Vince said many of his members have told him that children's schools, spouses' jobs and other considerations made it too difficult for most of them to take the offer.
We've heard from many of our members on this," Vince said Tuesday. "It's family and the expense of moving up there. But it's a variety of reasons, really" why people can't move to take the job offers, despite being laid off.
The so-called "preferential hire" rule that gives laid-off workers in other cities a chance to transfer to where Ford needs them is part of the master labour agreement between the union and the Detroit Big Three.
"We had about 150 people from Windsor indicate an interest in moving to the Oakville Operations," Lauren More, vice-president of communications for Ford of Canada, confirmed Tuesday. "So now we are opening up the application process to the general public."
Up to 500 people will be hired, she said. "Due to strong sales in the competitive crossover vehicle market, the Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited is now accepting applications in an effort to fill 500 new jobs" in Oakville.
Vince said the 500 includes the 150 Windsor CAW members who have expressed an interest in going. But some members of Local 200 may yet back out of the offer.
Ford has sped up the hiring process for Oakville since it first started discussing the issue with the union, Vince said. "It's moving quicker now," due to market pressures and financial pressures on Ford to deliver more Edges and MKXes. The vehicles are a high-profit centre for the company.
In a welcome bit of good news for Ford in recent years, public acceptance of its Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossover vehicles, both of which are assembled only in Oakville, has been exceptional. Both vehicles are also quality successes and lauded by critics.
The Edge and MKX have even been selling well in coastal California, a crucial trend-driven market that turned its back on most Detroit products years ago, according to Jim Farley, group vice-president of marketing and communications for the Ford Motor Company.
The Oakville Assembly Complex, as the combined flexible assembly line on the former two-plant site is now known, begins building a third vehicle in May, the Ford Flex. The larger crossover is already winning positive "buzz" among consumers drawn to its controversial boxy styling.
The Oakville plant's two current shifts have both been working 10-hour overtime shifts in recent months trying to keep up with demand for the Edge and MKX. The fact that Ford is hiring a third shift after closing more than two dozen plants in the Canada and the U.S. indicates it believes the products it's building in Oakville probably have a long enough lifespan in the marketplace to justify the hiring call.
"It looks like Oakville is going to be humming for a while," Erich Merkle, vice-president of forecasting for IRN Inc., of Grand Rapids, Mich., said of the Ford plant there.
More said those interested in applying for a job in Oakville can visit [url]www.jobBank.gc.ca[/url] and look for advertisement #3641570. They can also visit one of the Service Canada offices in Peel Region, Halton Region or the Region of Hamilton-Wentworth.
The Flex launches in May, but the new jobs in Oakville will be phased in gradually beginning on July 1, More said.
© The Windsor Star 2008
