UAW Leaders at Ford Overplayed Hand

DETROIT (TheStreet) -- Union leaders at Ford(F Quote) got out too far ahead of their members, and now they have been pulled back.

Ford workers voted overwhelmingly to reject contract changes intended to keep the automaker competitive with its rivals, the United Auto Workers announced Monday. The union said 70% of Ford production workers and 75% of skilled trade workers voted to reject the agreement, which union leadership had backed.

It certainly did not help that Ford has differentiated itself from its rivals as the successful automaker, the one that did not need a bailout and, ultimately, was able to report a $1 billion third-quarter profit -- even as it warned that its high debt load will get higher in the coming year.

The deal with the union offered a one-time, $1,000 bonus and created or protected 7,000 jobs, the Detroit Free Press has reported. It also included a no-strike clause pertaining to disagreements over wages and benefits, the newspaper said.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger has generally stood side by side with leaders of the Detroit Three automakers as they dealt with a Congress that was deeply split over whether to bail out General Motors and Chrysler.

Moreover, the union has repeatedly made concessions to help the automakers survive, including reopening the landmark 2007 contract and renegotiating terms under which automakers finance the Voluntary Employee Benefits Association health care trust fund.

Since 2005, Ford has reduced its North American workforce by 61,000 workers, including 50,000 union members. The company today employs 74,500, including about 50,000 union workers.