Automobiles

Ford announces US job cuts, doesn’t say how many

Ford Motor Co. announced Wednesday it is cutting U.S. salaried jobs as part of a reorganization but did not specify how many workers would be affected.

Said Deep, a company spokesman, said the reshuffling “has resulted in some separations of salaried employees and the reassignment of others,” according to Reuters.

The automaker said the process should be completed by the end of June.

{mosads}Ford did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

The company last year announced a reorganization of its global salaried workforce, saying it would result in a “headcount reduction over time, and this will vary based on team and location.” The announcement came as the automaker lagged behind competitors in sales and was hurt by President Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs.

Ford said in February that it would close its oldest factory in Brazil and abandon its heavy commercial truck business in South America, a move that could result in the loss of 2,700 jobs.

CEO Jim Hackett told workers that 2018 had been “mediocre” and that it was “time to bury the year in a deep grave, grieve over what might have been and become super focused on meeting, and, in fact, exceeding this year’s plan,” according to Reuters.

U.S. automaker General Motors is also facing setbacks. The company is stopping production at five of its North American plants and cutting about 8,000 salaried jobs.