[A-List] Press Release

["Charles Brown" <cbrown@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

Trial Starts in Ford Retaliation Case in Wayne County Circuit Court,
While Executives Glitz It Up at the Auto Show

The eyes of the world are looking at Detroit as it opens its doors to the
2007 North American International Auto Show.  Glitz and glamour take center
stage. The spotlight centers on Ford Motor Company as it announces millions
of dollars to be spent in the State of Michigan, upgrading and retooling its
plants.  

However, hidden in the shadows are numbers of Ford employees, from
Vice-Presidents to Directors to Managers to Salaried and Hourly Workers, who
are complaining of discrimination, a hostile work environment and
retaliation at Ford Motor Company.  Ford conducted an audit in the Material
Planning Department and found that these complaints had merit.  According to
their own Personnel Relations Audit, there is a racially hostile work
environment; there are substantial discrepancies in wages for
African-American employees who perform the same work as their Caucasian
counterparts.  Women and African American employees are consistently passed
over for promotions and the Zero Tolerance Policy that Ford Motor Company
has with regard to discrimination of any kind is being blatantly
disregarded.  In fact, there is retaliation against employees who try to
make these issues see the light of day.

Rather than addressing these issues in the workplace, Ford Motor Company is
waging war in the Courts ? specifically in Wayne County Circuit Court, where
a second trial will begin on January 17, 2007. The case, Patterson vs. Ford
Motor Company, will be heard before Judge John O?Hare.  The plaintiff states
Ford has retaliated against her for her complaints of age, gender and race
discrimination.  Other complaints of racial discrimination are in various
stages of the judicial process.  Judge Michael Callahan summarily dismissed
one of these complaints, without a discussion of the substantial evidence in
the case.  Judge Kathleen MacDonald dismissed another case without a
hearing.  Another, Simms vs. Ford Motor Company, was recently heard before
Judge Gershwin Drain who dismissed counts of retaliation and hostile work
environment and would not allow 17 witnesses to testify.  Neither would he
allow into evidence Ford?s own 2002 investigation of discrimination that
confirmed racial discrimination.  Finally, Judge Drain would not allow the
word ?racism? to be used despite the case being one of racial
discrimination.  These last three cases are in the Court of Appeals process.
Ford Motor Company is using its corporate power however it can to win these
cases, behaving, as they say, as good corporate citizens while their
attorney announced in open Court that Ford was out to change the
discrimination laws in the State of Michigan. All of the judges have, at
Ford?s request, refused to allow Ford?s own audit to be used as evidence.  

Interestingly enough, Ford Motor Company recently announced it was going to
adopt the Toyota Lean Manufacturing program globally.  Ironically, several
of the plaintiffs are Six Sigma certified and some are also considered
experts in the Toyota Production System methodology and implementation.


The Coalition for Corporate Justice and Equal Opportunity at Ford Motor
Company is Co-Chaired by Pastor Charles Adams of Hartford Memorial Baptist
Church and Pastor Kenneth Flowers of Greater New Mt. Moriah Baptist Church,
Father Norman Thomas of Sacred Heart, Pastor Ed Rowe of Central United
Methodist Church, Pastor William Walker of First Baptist Church of Detroit
as well as other leaders from churches, unions, elected officials and
concerned citizens.

The Detroit Free Press has publicly requested that an investigation be
conducted in the goings on of the Michigan Supreme Court. The spotlight also
needs to shine brightly on Wayne County Circuit Court and this trial on
January 17, 2007.
____________________________________________________________________________
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The Coalition for Corporate Justice and Equal Opportunity Contact Number is
1-313-861-1300.


  
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