DETROIT (Reuters) - Hourly workers at Ford Motor Co have voted to accept concessions to their 2007 contract and a new funding arrangement for a retiree healthcare trust, the United Auto Workers union said on Monday.
The cuts approved by workers in voting at units across the United States puts additional pressure on General Motors Corp and Chrysler to complete discussions with the UAW that are mandated as part of their government bailouts.
Members of the Obama administration task force were touring GM and Chrysler facilities in the Detroit area on Monday. GM and Chrysler, about 80 percent controlled by Cerberus Capital Management, have until the end of March to demonstrate that they can be made viable.
The agreement between Ford and the UAW is one of several steps the automaker has taken to cut costs and maintain liquidity for a turnaround plan that started four years ago. Ford has not sought emergency loans from the U.S. government.
"The voting results show that our members are prepared to make painful sacrifices in order to be part of the solution to the problems facing Ford and the U.S. auto industry," UAW Vice President Bob King said in a statement.
(Reporting by David Bailey; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
