Ford To UAW Workers: Eat Your Veggies

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

“Detroit autoworkers have long been stereotyped as hard-drinking, overweight smokers,” says the Detroit News. Soon, Ford workers will be able to make more money by giving up smoking and by losing weight. Booze has not been mentioned yet.

According to the report, Ford and the UAW are working on a wellness program that gives “financial incentives to factory employees who make healthy lifestyle choices.” Details are still murky, but the DetN thinks the program will be “similar to one already in place for Ford’s U.S. salaried employees. As part of that program, some health insurance plans reward employees with lower premiums if they make lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking and losing weight.”

Chrysler has a similar program for salaried employees, and says it is following the talks between Ford and the UAW closely.

GM has a voluntary program, which provides free on-site health screenings and health coaching.

Ford, GM and Chrysler spend about $5 an hour on health care for new hires and other second-tier hourly workers. For veteran factory workers the cost is about $8 an hour. By 2015, the average for all hourly workers could reach $11 an hour.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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 5 comments
  • Stroker49 Stroker49 on Jun 10, 2013

    It is easy to loose weight and be healthier. You can fast periodic, eat very low carb or you can eat less calories (this sucks) and many other more or less crazy regims. The secret is to find a way that is sustainable.Try to find a good lifestyle not just a diet. For me this works and it cost nothing and it is a pure joy. http://www.dietdoctor.com/

  • Segfault Segfault on Jun 10, 2013

    "For veteran factory workers the cost is about $8 an hour." At 40 hours per week, that's over $1300/month! Around here, a middle aged male who smokes can buy an individual health insurance policy with a $1500 deductible for about half that. I'm not sure why their benefits are so expensive.

    • Ect Ect on Jun 10, 2013

      Most of their "veteran" workers are prabaly married with children, so they sign up for family coverage. Believe it or not, in the US $1,300 per month is on the low side for a comprehensie medical/dental/prescription benefits program.

  • Golden2husky Golden2husky on Jun 10, 2013

    Sounds like a good plan to me. I think offering lower cost health care premiums to those who actively try to stay healthy is a great idea. American obesity is running amok and we all get to pay for it. If this program is voluntary, why not?

  • Herb Herb on Jun 10, 2013

    This will certainly end well. A massive number of jobs will be created in educating the poor or semi-poor not to make bad choices anymore. It is just a logical step to start such programs within Big 3. By having decided to work within the reach of UAW and Ford/GM/Chrysler executives the prospective target group has already shown a strong inclination to poor decisions. They certainly need some counseling to drop such bad habits.

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