Date: Sat, 9 Mar 1996 00:42:18 -0700
From: Rudy Troike RTROIKE[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU
Subject: Interesting plays on "Ford"
While you may or may not wish to attend to the call for support herein,
I could not resist forwarding this, as otherwise you might miss out on the
interesting linguistic plays (multilingual even) on the auto name Ford .
Will there be a Ford in your future?
--Rudy Troike (rtroike[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ccit.arizona.edu)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Mexican Ford workers solicit your support in their battle against
low wages.
1996 is a negotiations year between Ford Motor Co. and its workers
in three plants; Chihuahua, Hermosillo and Cuautitlan.
THIS IS AN ACTION CALL TO SUPPORT THEIR FIGHT AGAINST LOW WAGES
Presently, wage negotiations are taking place in Mexico for the
Chihuahua and Hermosillo plants. Cuautitlan plant negotiations are
scheduled for the month of March.
The negotiations in Chihuahua scheduled to be resolved by the end
of January, concluded on Tuesday, February 27, after two
extensions. while negotiations are taking place concurrently with
the Hermosillo plant workers representatives.
The negotiations for Chihuahua got idled when FORD offered a total
of 15% wage increase against the workers demand of 30%.
In the last five years, thousands of Brazilian auto workers were
forced to strike twice in order to obtain higher wage increases
than what FORD offered. The FORD workers in England recently came
out of a bitter strike where the main issue was a wage increase
compatible to England's current cost of living.
Labor leaders in Chihuahua say they were ready to strike if the
gap did not narrow. The final compromise was of a 25% wage
increase. Mexico suffers presently from a 50% average inflation
rate. The price of the basic goods basket is predicted to rise by
over 74%. The basic goods basket includes consumer goods and
services that are all but indispensable to most of the population.
The UAW in the United States and the CAW in Canada, are scheduled
to hold wage and contract negotiations with Ford and the other two
auto makers this year as well.
Although Ford has increased its investment in Mexican facilities
in recent years resulting in sizable profits due to cheaper cost
of labor and production, it consistently follows the Mexican
government austerity program by keeping wages way bellow current
cost of living.
"FORD" is a four letter word: The feelings of Ford workers in
several countries have been clearly expressed against their
employer by rewriting the company's logo illustrating Ford's place
in their communities.
Workers in Brazil rewrote the Ford logo to "FOME" which means
"hunger" in portuguese, when in 1991 fought against an 11%
increase proposal at a time when the country suffered an inflation
rate of 1000% plus. English Ford workers have spelled out their
anger by writing "F---" within the famous blue and silver oval. In
the United States, Ford auto workers have qualified their
company's standing in their communities by replacing "FRAUD" for
the company's name. Santos Martinez, from the Cleto Nigmo Urbina
committee spearheading the democratization movement in
Cuautitlan/Ford, says that although they may think of stronger
words, they may not fit in the small oval space, so they have to
settle for FEOS or FUCHI, which means ugly and disgusting in
spanish to depict the company and the labor relations atmosphere
Ford has created in their plant.
As it has been expressed during the anti-NAFTA activism, the
interests of the workers in the U.S. and Canada in term of better
wages and job security, are directly related to those of the
Mexican workers.
We ask you to Contact as many of the people listed below and
insist that FORD respect the human dignity of its workers by
affording them just and fair wages.
C. T. M.
C. Fidel Velazquez, Presidente Vallarta No. 8 Mexico DF. C.P.
06030 Ph-011-525-703-3112
Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de Ford Motor Co. Seccion
Cuautitlan M. Juarez Eudonio, Sec. Gral KM. 36.5 Autopista
Queretaro- Cuautitlan, Edo de Mexico Vallarta 8 2ndo piso Mexico,
4 DF. Ph- 011-525-326-7212, 7375, 7550, 7573 fx-011-525-326-7476
Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de Ford Motor Co. Juan J.
Sosa, Sec. Gral. Ncl. Kilometro 36 1/2 Carretera Mexico-Queretaro
Col. Lomas del Salitre Cuautitlan, Ixcala Edo. de Mexico
CP. 54750
ph-011-525-326-7630, 7232 fx-011-525-326-7476
Alex Trotman, CEO. Ford World Headquarters The American Road PO
Box. 1899 Dearborn, MI.48121-1899 Ph-313-322-3000 fx-313-396-2927
Ford Motors de Mexico Phillippe Mellier, Pres. Reforma 333 Sexto
Piso Col Cuauhtemoc Mexico, DF. 06500 Ph-011-525-326-6230
fx-011-525-533-3693
President Bill Clinton White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC. 20500 Ph-202 456-1111 Fx-202 456-2461
Lic. Ernesto Zedillo Presidente de la Republica Palacio Nacional
06067 Mexico, DF. ph-011-525-515-3717 fx-011-525-515-8005, 5729
Fax confirmation numbers: 011-525-515-9829, 8256
NAFTA Officers: Robert Reich U.S. Sec. of Labor 200 Constitution
Ave. N.W. Washington, DC. 20210 Ph-202-219-5000 fx-202-219-7312
Lic. Javier Bonilla Garcia Sec. Fed. de Trabajo Anillo Periferico
Sur 4271 Piso 4 Fuentes del Pedregal Delegacion Tlalpan Mexico.
14140 Ph-011-525-645-9638 fx-011-525-645-5594
For more information contact
TIE-US.
Julio Cesar Guerrero, MSW 7435 Michigan Ave Detroit, MI. 48210 Ph
313-842-6262 px313-842-0227
NOTE:
You may use this letter or write your own. Please send copies to:
TIE.US
7435 Michigan Ave, Detroit, MI. 48210 Fx-313-842-0227
I support Ford Workers fair wages:
Wage negotiations between Ford Motor Co. and its workers are
taking place in Mexico and will take place in the US and Canada
this year also.
Despite the huge profits that Ford has accrued by increasing
operations in Mexico, the company disregards the economic and most
basic needs of workers by keeping their wages low.
Ford workers in Chihuahua, Hermosillo and Cuautitlan plants more
than need, deserve your support to gain the respect from their
employer in the form of fair wages, hence dignity and decent
living for their families.
Recent strikes in Brazil and England over wages are a
manifestation of the company's insensitivity to the problem of the
real wages' actual buying power.
I urge you to use the authority in your capacity to promote fair
wages for Ford workers. It's the just thing to do!!!
------------------------------ End of forwarded message 1