If you are driving to work at Ford Motor Company's truck plant in Dearborn, Mich., you better make sure you're behind the wheel of one of the company's cars.
The Associated Press reported Friday that the plant has instituted a new rule: starting Feb. 1, the plant parking lot can only be used by employees who drive vehicles built by Ford or one of its subsidiaries.
The rule, created by Dearborn plant manager Rob Webber, was announced this past Monday, the same day Ford announced a restructuring plan under which it will cut up to 30,000 jobs and close 14 facilities by 2012.
"It was something this plant manager took upon himself. It's not a company-wide policy," Ford spokeswoman Anne Marie Gattari told the AP. She added that Webber made the decision only after consulting with local United Auto Workers leaders.
UAW Local 600, which represents about 2,600 workers at the plant, applauded the decision.
"Everybody's in this together. (We need) to buy the products we make and support the company," said Local 600 president Jerry Sullivan. "This is a good place to start."
In the past, the UAW has banished Asian and European vehicles from its parking lots. The restriction at the Dearborn Truck plant, however, could well be the first to be sanctioned by an automaker, The Detroit News reported.
The ban at this plant applies to both salaried and hourly workers with permits to park on site. Approximately 15 percent of Dearborn Truck employees have such permits. Employees who don't drive Ford products can still park, but it will be in an employee lot across the street from the plant.
Employees who will take the walk across the street include a veteran skilled tradesman who said he drives a DaimlerChrysler-made car because it gives him "the most bang for my buck."
"They can't tell you how to spend your money," said the man, who asked not to be identified. "It's still a free country."
