Complaint Review: UAW and Ford Motor Company - Michigan

My father has been a dedicated employee to Ford Motor Company for 20 plus years. He has never missed an excessive amount of days from work, never had a complaint filed against him, or been suspended from Ford until recently.

In April of 2000, my father was involved in an altercation with two other employees (of Ford Motor Company). These men confronted and jumped my father. One of the men hit my father across the side of the head with a 4*4 (or some kind of weapon) and continued to injure my father with his fists, while the other employee stood there and watched.

This happened as I was in the parking lot of Ford Motor Company waiting for my father to get off of work. After, I had seen what had happend to my father (as soon as he got into the car), I immediately asked my father what had happened and soon he was taken to Henry Ford Hosptial and treated for his injures, which consisted of stitches across his head and was given medication for his other injuries.

My father had also went to the Dearborn Police and filed a complaint against the two men with whom he had the altercation with. This resulted in an investigation between the Dearborn Police Department and Labor Realtions. My father and the two men were all suspended from Ford Motor Company because of the altercation. However, my father was told that he would return to work in 2 months.

It is now August of 2000, and my father has not returned to work. The Uaw and Ford Motor Company have been giving my father the run-arounds since July 10th of 2000 (the day in which he was supposed to return to work). The Uaw and Ford have been promsing my father that he would return to work and nothing has been done. He pays his union dues monthly and apparently the Local 600 UAW officials have not been doing their job (neither has Ford Motor Company). It is both, Ford and the Uaws' job to provide the proper precautions for their employees. They are responsible for incidents (like my fathers') that injure their employees, whether it's fighting on the job, worked related injuries, etc... There was no security present at the time of my father's incident and there were no cameras in the area in which he was injured (according to Ford and UAW officials). It is their job to prevent these type of incidents from happening. You would think that they would do so after the incident back in the mid-1990's when a UAW committee man went into a Local UAW office and shot at a other UAW committee men.

I blame the UAW and Ford Motor Company for my fathers' injuries. He has not received any income from Ford Motor Company or the Unemployment agancy. On July 28,2000, my father had a meeting with executive UAW officals and they promised him that he would received a call during the week of July 31-August 4 and he would soon report to work after. However, he still hasn't talked to any UAW officials. Although, my father has received a few phone calls from one UAW official on Wednesday August 2 and Thursday August 3, but my father was not at home of the time that his committee man called. However, my father did return the calls back to his committee man, but hasn't received a reply from his committee man after leaving a couple of messages on voicemail.

As you can see, the UAW and Ford are purposely giving my father the run-arounds and in my opinion, I think that they do not want my father to return to work. This has caused my father a lot of stress and I fear that his health will be affected by the lack of effort and interest that the UAW officials and Ford are showing in my father's case. My father has been a employee for Ford Motor Company for a very long time and has a clean record. However, one of the men who injured my father has a current record of aggressive behavior and violent temper problems (with Ford Motor Company). This man has had other altercations with other employees at Ford, but this time his aggressiveness turned violent and resulted in injuring my father.

Why would my father risk getting fired after 20 plus dedicated years with Ford Motor Company for an altercation with two other employees? My father will be 50 years old and the guys who jumped him are in their late 20's or early 30's. My father has been extremely patient and has been anxiously waiting for this phone call that they have promised him. He doesn't want to seek any legal action because he is afraid that he will lose his job.

My father loves his job and still doesn't want to seek any legal action against the UAW and Ford. However, I am going to take some kind of action. I can't blame my father for be so dedicated to his job at Ford Motor Company, but after 20 plus years I can see that they have no interest in the saftey and welfare of their employees.

I know that all companies have their rules and regulations for incidents such as my father's, but this is too cruel. Especially since, there were no witnesses at the time of the altercation, the police reports stated that these two men were constanly changing their stories, and my fathers' clean record vs. the other guys previous record of aggressive behavior and violent temper.

I would never recommend that others let the UAW and Ford handle their matters alone. I would like to advise others to seek other types of action outside the UAW and Ford. While my father waits patiently and decided to leave matters in the UAW and Ford's hands, I would like to enter this Rip Off report for my personal opinion. In my opinion, I don't think that UAW officials and Ford Motor Company are taking my father's case serious enough after he has dedicated his life to Ford Motor Company. I think that they have no interest in their employees saftey and welfare!!!

Sincerely,

Franchesca Maria Vega

[email protected]

[email protected]