UAW officials suspended after altercation at Ford plant

September 9, 2002

WAYNE, Mich. The AP reported that an altercation between United Auto Worker officials and Ford Motor Co. engineers have strained labor relations at the automaker's small car assembly plant here.

Two UAW Local 900 officials, Anderson Robinson Jr. and Jim Jones, were suspended without pay and a police report was filed after the incident last Saturday morning outside the Wayne assembly plant.

According to the report, a pair of Ford engineers were accused by union officials of performing repairs on Ford Focus sedans -- a task reserved for hourly employees under contract rules.

The engineers disagreed and attempted to continue working but claim the union officials slammed the vehicle hoods down and shoved them away, the report says.

One engineer reported his hand was closed under the hood while the other said he was scraped by a closing hood, Wayne Police Lt. Tom Miller said.

UAW Local 900 Chairman Bill Johnson denied that Robinson, Jones or any other union official assaulted or intimidated the Ford engineers. He said they merely prevented the engineers from working on the cars.

In a letter to union members, Johnson said the suspensions were unjust. He also criticized the plant's condition.

Ford spokeswoman Anne Marie Gattari called the incident an internal matter and said the company had no comment.