Ford bans competitors' vehicles from lot

CNNMoney.com ^ | 01/27/2006 | By Staff

[oxcart]

Employees at Ford's Dearborn Truck Plant in Dearborn, Mich., will have to drive Ford Motor Co. vehicles to work or park across the street, the plant manager announced earlier this week.

The new parking policy, which is scheduled to take effect Feb. 1, was instituted by plant manager Rob Webber just as Ford reported losses of $1.6 billion from its North American auto operations in 2005 and Monday announced plans to close 14 plants and cut 30,000 jobs as it tries to reverse losses and respond to declining U.S. market share.

[bwteim]

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060127/AUTO01/601270377

Non-Ford cars defaced

"In recent years, the UAW has put handbills on non-Ford vehicles -- and even on some vehicles made by Ford's Volvo, Land Rover and Jaguar units -- that were parked at the company's world headquarters in Dearborn.

Land Rover, Volvo and other foreign vehicles also have been vandalized while parked at the automaker's Dearborn operations."

[longtermmemmory]

Ford needs to fight the perception.

Now if only they would put this "back against the wall" mindset into something more than a symbolic move.

Right concept wrong execution.

[Redbob]

"Ford made a piece of junk in the 1970s called the Galaxie 500."

You need to go a bit farther back than the '70s to see where Ford is salvaging that "500" name from.

Names like Fairlane 500 and Galaxie 500 from the early to mid-'60s were pretty decent cars: here's a '64 Galaxie 500"

Uhm, trailers optional, of course...

[WKUHilltopper]

Flash backs to the early 80's...

[mak5]

They're working on it now, copying Toyotas and Chevys. Their first car, the Chery (yes, that is really the name) is due into the US next year.

[Muleteam1]

>>Friend of mine says, "I'd rather push a FORD than drive a CHEVY"!<

I had a friend who would literally fist fight anyone who said anything bad about Fords. However, if he had said that to me, I would have replied "That has been my experience as well." Then I would have run!

Muleteam1

[Capt. Tom]

I don't know if it has been mentioned in all the posts ahead of me but- but if I was building Capt. Tom cars, I would not have a policy against my employees driving other competitors cars, or parking those cars in my lot.

I want my employees happy on the assembly line and not pissed off because they can't park in the lot closest to the assembly line. Or have to come an extra distance through inclement weather to get to work to build my cars. I don't want them thinking about those things while they put my cars together. - Tom

[MplsSteve]

Is that why Germany lost WWII?!

[Antonello]

No, I don't think that's it. I think everyone agrees that Ford can do whatever it wants with its property. The point is the question of why Ford employees wouldn't buy Fords, given the employee discounts, etc.

Is that really how you interpret these comments:

"They can't tell you how to spend your money," said one veteran tradesman. "It's still a free country." (post #7)
Regressing to their fascist roots sound like... (post #9)
But if they keep screwing with their employees, I might forget how much I love Mustangs. (post #11)
Sounds mercantilist. Employees are being used as "colonists", expected to buy the products of the "mother country". It didn't work too well in the 18th century... (post #17)
Oh, like anything liberal, eventually you lose your freedom, unless it's the freedom to kill your baby. (post #23)
Sieg Heil, Henry! (post #25)
Ford had a deal with Hitler in WWII. (post #39)
I believe in buying American but when any company tells it's employees what they have to drive to park in their lot, that company has acceded to socialism. (post #57)

[MrsEmmaPeel]

Since Ford owns Jaguar and Volvo, would those cars be acceptable on the lot, or must the vehicle be branded: "Ford"?

[Antonello]

You need to work a bit on your ability to think logically. If folks opposed private property rights, they'd be calling for legislation to ban the practice.

Folks here aren't saying that Ford can't do this; they are just pointing out how stupid the Ford decision is.

See post #89.

[Rakkasan1]

along these lines I'd like to see the pols who favor taxpayer bailouts and subsidies be forced to use only the product(s) made by said company. many of our local MN pols would have to fly Northwest everywhere, drive only e85 ethanol vehicles and ride the light rail back and forth.

[Woodstock]

Fine! If no one else will buy our cars, we'll stick it to our employees who are already worried about lay-offs.

Sounds like old-fashion intimidation to me.

[bwteim]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1566197/posts?page=81#81

[Woodstock]

Why wouldn't you want to "reinvest" in your place of business ??

Because, sometimes, a job is just a job.

[Who dat?]

The Gate gumby, told me I had to park my POS - yes, he said that... in the parking lot on the other side of the lots. a good 3/4 mile hike.

Yes. I’ve heard reports from a cousin that worked at some Ford plant in the early 70’s that foreign cars were routinely vandalized in the lot.

Never heard of any Ford vs. Chevy type stuff, but certainly said they’d damage foreign cars, kick the doors/fenders in, dent the hood and roof, break out glass, pull valve stems from wheels, slash tires, etc.

[jpsb]

My 91 5.0 mustang convertable has over 200k still run great. I've never had a problem with a Ford car or truck.

[Alouette]

I used to work at Ford, started early and always found a spot up front for my GM car.

When I worked at GM in the early 90's, employees who drove foreign cars were warned to stay out of the hourly's (UAW) parking lot after one guy had his brand new Honda keyed.