The announcement, at the plant, by Joe Hinrichs, Director of Manufacturing, that Ford intends to move forward with the consolidation of Ohio and Lorain Assembly brings many mixed emotions to our plants, communities, and our lives. It is great news that the company will be making a major investment for the long term future of Ohio Assembly. On the other hand, the announced loss of the Escape and Mariner project, Lorain Assembly, and the possibility of 1200 employees being affected, is devastating to most, to say the least. Our Leadership, along with UAW National Ford Director Gerald D. Bantom and his staff, UAW Region 2-B Director Lloyd Mahaffey and his staff, will be working with state and local officials to convince the company to reverse their decision to take the Escape and Mariner out of our plant.

As Joe Hinrichs stated yesterday, only through time and negotiations with Ford Motor and the UAW National Ford Department and both Local 2000 and Local 425, will we have answers to the many unanswered questions. Until everything is written in stone, rumors and speculation will continue. All eyes will be on us to see how we react to the news on the consolidation. Again, as Joe Hinrichs said, we must remain focused on the job at hand today. We must continue our progress at making the Econoline a best-in-class vehicle. The quality of the Escape and the successful launch of the Mariner are no less important today than they were last week. What we do from here on in will be monitored very closely. Our safety record, quality, production and our work attendance are all the key factors of how our plant is doing. Please keep sending positive messages up north that the Ohio Assembly Plant is indeed the place that Ford Motor Company can count on for building the best quality vehicles for years to come.

You will be kept informed as any new information becomes available.