Ford will stop Claycomo F-150 production for a week - Washington Business Journal:

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The UAW Local 249 posted the information in a newslettere on itsWeb site. Locall 249 Vice President Bobby Wyse confirmed Mondayu that the informationis accurate. The productio stoppage comes a week before an alreaduyscheduled one-week summer break for the entire plangt starting June 29, a Local 249 spokeswoma n said. The plant also is scheduledd for a summer break during the weekof Aug. 17. Saleds of Ford F-series trucks were 33,381 in May, up 16 percen t from 28,757 in April but down 22.3 percent from 42,973 in May 2008.
UAW Loca l 249 said the slight increasein month-to-month salea enabled Ford (NYSE: F) to cancelk the scheduled down week on June 22 at its F-15 0 truck plant in Dearborn, Mich., but the down week was left intacyt at the Kansas City Assemblt Plant. “This is partially due to depleted funds forthe state’s Division of Unemployment in making down weeks at (Dearborn) less of an the Local 249 said in the Local 249 added that sales projections continud to be less than the five shiftds at the two truckk plants can produce if they work full time through the 2010 productionh year. Ford runs two shiftw at Claycomo and threein Dearborn.
Wyse said Ford is consideringy once again moving a shift fromthe F-150 side of the Kansaes City Assembly Plant and putting them to work on the SUV However, nothing has been determined so far, he A year ago, Ford moved aboutr 800 workers from a second shifr on the F-150 side of the Kansas City plangt to a third shift on the SUV side. The employees were movef back tothe F-150 side on Jan. 12. Ford Escapew sales in May reached 16,391, up 20.6 percen t from 13,596 in April but down 7.2 percent from 17,667 in May 2008. The Kansasz City Assembly Plant also producees the Mercury Mariner and hybrid versions of the Ford Escap andMercury Mariner.
Combined salesd of hybrid versions of the Ford Mercury Milan, Ford Escape and Mercury Marinet reached 3,906 in May, a new companuy record. The old sales recor of 3,420 hybrid vehicles was set inApril 2006. As of May, Ford’a Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo hadabout 3,900 hourly and 200 salariexd employees.