Ford to lay off 150 workers in Buffalo as Town Car output ends

Ford Motor Co., weeks before entering contract talks with the United Auto Workers, said it plans to lay off 150 workers in New York state who make body panels for the soon-to-be-discontinued Lincoln Town Car.

According to KHABAR KHODRO, The workers at Ford's stamping plant in Buffalo will lose their jobs in September, according to a filing Thursday with the New York Department of Labor. The layoffs represent 23 percent of the 61-year-old factory's 651 hourly workers, according to Ford's website.

The Buffalo layoffs result from Ford's decision to halt production of the Town Car, the Ford Crown Victoria and the Mercury Grand Marquis, all made at an assembly plant in St. Thomas, Ontario.

The St. Thomas plant will close in September, Ford spokeswoman Marcey Evans said.

"Buffalo Stamping plant is the primary provider of automotive sheet metal stampings for the vehicles assembled at the St. Thomas plant," according to the filing. "The reduced volume will result in these layoffs."

No other layoffs are expected at Ford's U.S. plants as a result of the St. Thomas closing, Evans said. The automaker will work with the UAW to find new jobs for the workers, Evans said.

"It's hard to say today what the opportunities could be," Evans said. "It's possible they could be placed back at Buffalo if new work is brought in to that facility or it's possible they could be offered an opportunity to transfer to another location."