Ford's Global Labor costs (excl. Asia)

[Road_Warrior]

Wage agreement renegotiations with the Canadian Auto Worker's Union have revealed a few things about how well off they are compared with Ford plant workers in other regions. The CAW has entered negotiations resisting any further "givebacks" than what it conceded in 2009.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-0...e-workers.html

Ford estimates that it spends $79 for every hour of work in Canadian plants, when including costs for benefits and retirees, compared with $64 an hour in the U.S., $48 in Germany and $35 in Australia, Lauren More, a Ford spokeswoman, said. Looking just at wage rates, CAW assemblers get about $34 an hour, 21 percent more than the $28 paid to a senior worker represented by the Detroit-based United Auto Workers union, she said.

Obviously this is all considered in US dollars, and Asia is cheaper than anywhere else but it slams the door on the claim that Australia is such a high cost place for Ford to build cars - at least when you compare it to North America and Europe. Particularly Ford Europe which is about to commence a painful restructuring process.