Ford plant bans competitors' cars from lot.

rearviewmirror · #1 (**permalink**) 01-27-2006, 07:40 PM

This article alone says to me that working for the company sucks as bad as the product they build.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11057921/

Ford plant bans competitors' cars from lot
Dearborn manager says employees can only park if they drive a Ford
The Associated Press
Updated: 9:44 a.m. ET Jan. 27, 2006

DEARBORN, Mich. - The parking lot at Ford Motor Co.'s Dearborn Truck plant just got a little more exclusive.

Plant manager Rob Webber announced Monday that, starting Feb. 1, the parking lot may be used only by employees who drive vehicles built by Ford or one of its subsidiaries.

Webber's move came the same day Ford announced a restructuring plan under which it will cut up to 30,000 jobs and close 14 facilities by 2012. Ford said the plan is designed to make the company's North American division, which lost $1.6 billion last year, profitable by 2008.

"It was something this plant manager took upon himself. It's not a company-wide policy," Ford spokeswoman Anne Marie Gattari said, adding that Webber made the decision after consulting with local UAW leaders.

Jerry Sullivan, president of United Auto Workers Local 600, which represents about 2,600 workers at the plant, applauded Webber's move.

"Everybody's in this together. (We need) to buy the products we make and support the company," Sullivan said. "This is a good place to start."

The UAW in the past has banished Asian and European vehicles from its parking lots. The restriction at Dearborn Truck, however, may be the first to be sanctioned by an automaker, The Detroit News reported Friday.

The ban applies to both salaried and hourly workers with permits to park on site. About 15 percent of Dearborn Truck employees have such permits. Employees who don't drive Ford products can still park in an employee lot across the street from the plant.

Those employees will include a veteran skilled tradesman who said he drives a vehicle made by DaimlerChrysler AG because it gives him "the most bang for my buck."

"They can't tell you how to spend your money," said the man, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals. "It's still a free country."
© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

© 2006 MSNBC.com

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11057921/

drthompson65 · #2 (**permalink**) 01-27-2006, 07:43 PM

I've heard this same behavior from BMW and Audi as well... If it means anything the service manager for the local BMW dealership lives next door to me. He drives a Jeep.

rearviewmirror · #3 (**permalink**) 01-27-2006, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drthompson65

I've heard this same behavior from BMW and Audi as well... If it means anything the service manager for the local BMW dealership lives next door to me. He drives a Jeep.

I've never seen that from BMW at all. In fact I've even picked up a Euro delivery car @ the plant in Munich and I remember seeing plenty of Opel, Fords, and VWs. My Service Manager @ BMW of Austin drives an Expedition.

Baasinator · #4 (**permalink**) 01-27-2006, 08:17 PM

I say big deal. Only 15% of employees are allowed to park in that lot anyway. If a few of those people don't drive a Ford to work they'll just park across the street with the other 85%.

Gerg · #5 (**permalink**) 01-27-2006, 08:25 PM

I find it hard to believe they're going to try this. Seems to me to be a violation of citizens' freedoms. I'll bet it won't be long before there's a Federal lawsuit filed, or they drop the ban.

You cannot force an employee to purchase your products, and I doubt they will be able to enforce the ban of other cars into their lot. They have employees who have to drive to get to work, and they have to provide parking to them without discrimination.

I'm not at all a lawyer, but I'd bet this is illegal. It certainly is stupid, no matter what. Another black eye for Ford.

Whoever said bad press is better than no press at all didn't envision this!

rearviewmirror · #6 (**permalink**) 01-27-2006, 08:39 PM

Since most big US automaker executives make 415x the average worker it seems unlikely that the people who have up front parking would be driving a Ford anyways... unless they had a mass production of Ford GTs recently. Just to compare, Auto execs in Japan and Europe make an average of only 15x more than most of the workers.

Baasinator · #7 (**permalink**) 01-27-2006, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gerg

I find it hard to believe they're going to try this. Seems to me to be a violation of citizens' freedoms. I'll bet it won't be long before there's a Federal lawsuit filed, or they drop the ban.

You cannot force an employee to purchase your products, and I doubt they will be able to enforce the ban of other cars into their lot.

It's their lot! I guess my freedom has been violated because I can't park there? I bet the employees with permits aren't allowed to park an RV or a school bus there, either.

Besides, who's gonna sue them? It sounds like this plant manager is just throwing the union a bone. I wouldn't want to come to work after filing a lawsuit about it!

Still SP3 · #8 (**permalink**) 01-27-2006, 08:59 PM

No big deal, I'd say. If my memory serves me, Honda did/does the same in Marysville.

gtoast · #9 (**permalink**) 01-27-2006, 09:17 PM

dcx and gm banned competitive vehicles from their respective tech centres a couple of years ago. it was funny at the time i was driving a 1991 subaru legacy with 200k+ rusted to shit, leaking oil and gas to the warren (gm) tech centre and because of the gm-subaru affiliation i could park in the 'gm' vehicle structure (they even had a security guard waving folks in, and turning others away). im sure wagoneer wasn't thinking about my car when he signed off on that one

i did get my old nissan sentra keyed at dham assembly but that may not have been because of the car

DesmoBob · #10 (**permalink**) 01-28-2006, 12:07 AM

It's their lot. They own it. Workers at the plant are employed--and can park in designated lots--at Ford's will and discretion. I think it's a cheesy thing to do, but a violation of civil rights? Illegal? Come on.

Gerg · #11 (**permalink**) 01-28-2006, 12:24 AM

Again, I'm not a lawyer, but it strikes me that they has to be some law protecting employees and what the employer has to provide for them to be able to arrive at their job.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I still stand by my earlier post, it's a really stupid move. Maybe not surprising that it comes from Ford.

I think that the idea of them trying to force their employees to buy their products is a breach of civl rights of some sort (freedom to choose?), and that's the part that I think will bite them in the ass.

Baasinator · #12 (**permalink**) 01-28-2006, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gerg

Again, I'm not a lawyer, but it strikes me that they has to be some law protecting employees and what the employer has to provide for them to be able to arrive at their job.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I still stand by my earlier post, it's a really stupid move. Maybe not surprising that it comes from Ford.

I think that the idea of them trying to force their employees to buy their products is a breach of civl rights of some sort (freedom to choose?), and that's the part that I think will bite them in the ass.

The article states that 85% of the employees already park in a lot across the street, anyway. The Ford-only rule is being enforced in the restricted lot where only 15% of employees are allowed to park. So now they might have a 90/10 split, but they aren't making anybody walk to work. I don't even know why this was a news story!

RP Racing · #13 (**permalink**) 01-28-2006, 08:19 AM

As I said in the other one on this....

GM here did that and then changed it back after the employees filed complaints with the local UAW. Can they make rules like that? Yep. Will it come back and bite them? More than likely.

rc51crazy · #14 (**permalink**) 01-28-2006, 07:35 PM

well lets see... its not only ford but GM also does it.. i was just at the corvette factory in bowling green kentucky and guess what... the parking lot closest to the door had a sign that read.. For GM vehicles Only, All others will be towed... so i guess ford isn't the only one

Baasinator · #15 (**permalink**) 01-28-2006, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rc51crazy

well lets see... its not only ford but GM also does it.. i was just at the corvette factory in bowling green kentucky and guess what... the parking lot closest to the door had a sign that read.. For GM vehicles Only, All others will be towed... so i guess ford isn't the only one

Why hell, next time you're in town we should grab a beer. Don't see many Speedzillers around here 'cept for when RCFiftyWon stops in from Iraq. Were you at the plant for work or a tour?

rc51crazy · #16 (**permalink**) 01-28-2006, 11:52 PM

i was up visiting the museum and took the factory tour.. pretty cool place if your a car nut

Baasinator · #17 (**permalink**) 01-29-2006, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rc51crazy

i was up visiting the museum and took the factory tour.. pretty cool place if your a car nut

For sure!

Did you happen to stop by Arts Corvette across the street from the museum? It's another cool place for a car nut - they have a bunch of old muscle cars in addition to the Vettes.

RCFiftyWon · #18 (**permalink**) 01-31-2006, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rc51crazy

well lets see... its not only ford but GM also does it.. i was just at the corvette factory in bowling green kentucky and guess what... the parking lot closest to the door had a sign that read.. For GM vehicles Only, All others will be towed... so i guess ford isn't the only one

A buddy of mine told me about the non-GM vehicle ban when they first announced it.

He said that to get back at GM and the Corvette plant, the employees back their Ford pick-up trucks up against the fence that faces the interstate so that when you drive by the Corvette plant, you see a long line of Ford tailgates!

It's petty, I guess, but so is the company policy.

I'm a huge fan of capitalism as I've said before - if the company would sell the best vehicles offered to the public, they'd have no problem getting the employees to drive them.

Jeff.