Ford, GM To Layoff Canadian Workers

December 6, 2002; Bloomberg News reported that Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. will lay off about 7,400 workers in Ontario over the next month.

The moves will affect 5,600 employees at Ford, the world's second-biggest automaker, and 1,800 at General Motors, the biggest. Salaried employees and some others aren't affected.

Ford will close its Windstar minivan plant in Oakville, Ontario, for two weeks starting Dec. 9, affecting 2,400 of 2,800 employees, spokesman John Arnone said. The company also will shut its St. Thomas, Ontario, plant, which produces the Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis sedans, for one week starting Dec. 16, affecting 2,300 of 2,600 workers.

A Windsor, Ontario, engine plant will stop production of V-6 engines for the week of Dec. 16, affecting 900 of 1,800 workers. The plant will continue to produce V-8 engines, Arnone said.

General Motors said it will temporarily shut down its Canadian joint-venture plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, next week and the following week, and then for three weeks in January. The factory, owned with Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp., builds the Chevrolet Tracker and Suzuki Vitara sport-utilities. About 1,800 employees will be out of work, said General Motors spokesman Richard James.

U.S. sales of cars and light trucks fell 13 percent in November. Ford said on Tuesday it planned to cut fourth-quarter production by 2.6 percent from previous estimates. Windstar sales are down 18 percent through November, Crown Victoria sales are down 16 percent, and Grand Marquis down 31 percent, Ford said. Chevrolet Tracker sales are down 20 percent, according to Autodata Corp.