A top United Auto Workers official said Monday the union is ready to help solve the "crisis" at Ford Motor Co. and would not rule out discussing more buyouts and other cost-cutting moves in order to make the beleaguered automaker more competitive.
The UAW could even support a Ford alliance with a foreign automaker, provided that such a deal has financial benefits for the company and secures U.S. auto jobs, said Bob King, UAW vice president in charge of the union's Ford division, speaking at a conference hosted by investment bank JP Morgan at the Ritz-Carlton Dearborn.
"We wouldn't rule out anything," King said in one of his first public appearances since his election in June. "We're open to whatever helps the company and protects our members."
The comments are the latest signal that the once-combative UAW is showing a greater willingness to cooperate with downsizing domestic automakers in order to ensure their mutual survival.
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