Page A2
lanuary 25. 2006
Ford to Cut 25,000 Jobs
Rough patch of road for automaker
Ford Motor Co. announced
Monday it would cut 23,000 to
30,000jobs and close 14 facilities
in North America.
The automaker
has been hurt by
falling sales of its
p ro fitab le sport
utility vehicles,
g ro w in g h ealth
care for its employ
ees, materials costs, and labor con
tracts that have limited its ability
to close plants and cut jobs.
The U nited Auto W orkers
union will have to agree to some of
the changes Ford wants to make,
a spokesperson for Ford said. The
automaker's CEO William Clay
Ford, Jr., said his company “will
retake the American roadway.” in
an attempt to reassure the public
that this is not the end for the Ford
automaker
The job cuts represent 20 per
cent to 25 percent of Ford’s North
American work force of 122.IXX)
people. Ford has approximately
87,(XX)hourly workers and 35,000
salaried workers in the region.
“These cuts are a pain
ful last resort and I’m
deeply mindful of their
impact," said Ford, the
a u to m a k e r's CEO.
“They’re going to af
fect many lives, many
fam ilies and many
communities."
Ford reported earnings of $2
billion in 2005, down 42 percent
from last year’s profit of $3.5 bil
lion. It was the third straight year
the automaker has reported a
profit, but gains in Europe, Asia
and elsewhere were offset by a
lossofS 1.6 billion in North Ameri
can operations.
Ford also has seen its U S. mar
ket share slide as a result of in
creasing competition from foreign
rivals. The company suffered its
I Oth straight year of market share
losses in the United States in 2(X)5.
r
Belafonte Keeps Pressuring Bush
Attacks
president
and his
policies
African-American entertainer
Harry Belafonte, one of the Bush
adm inistration's harshest critics,
compared the Homeland Secu
rity Department to the Nazi G e
stapo on Saturday and attacked
the president as a liar.
"W e’ve come to this dark time
in which the new G estapo of
Homeland Security lurks here,
where citizens are having their
rights suspended,” Belafonte said,
in a Saturday speech to the an
nual meeting o f the Arts Present
ers M embers Conference.
O regon
D e p a rtm e n t
o f T ra n s p o rta tio n
ODOT IN THE NEW YEAR:
NEW CONSTRUCTION
AND NEW JOBS
In addition to projects already under
way on numerous Oregon highways, the
Oregon Department of Transportation
is beginning an unprecedented level of
construction along Interstate 5 in
2006. Much of the work falls under the
OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program,
which is repairing or replacing
hundreds of aging highway bridges
throughout the state.
The surge of construction in 2006 and
beyond is bringing opportunities for
contractors and workers. Current
construction has already helped boost
Oregon’s economy. At its peak, the
bridge program is expected to sustain
more than 5,000 jobs.
To learn more, visit ODOT's web site at
http://egov.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/
OTIA/bridge_delivery.shtml.
ODOT IS INVESTING
IN OREGON’S FUTURE
AfttBM nUMSTMTinON WVUTMBIT ACT
Singer and activist Harry Belafonte is keeping up his opposition
against President Bush.
“You can be arrested and not
charged. You can be arrested
and have no right to counsel,”
said Belafonte.
The remarks were greeted with
a roaring standing ovation from
an a u d ie n c e w hich included
singer Peter Yarrow o f the folk
group Peter, Paul and Mary, and
members of the arts community
from several dozen countries.
Messages seeking comments
from H om eland Security and
White House officials were not
returned.
Belafonte. 78, had called Presi
dent Bush "the greatest terrorist
in the w orld" during a trip to
Venezuela two weeks ago. He
made that comment after a m eet
ing with Venezuelan leader Hugo
Chavez.
The Harlem-born Belafonte,
who was raised in Jamaica, said
his activism was inspired by an
impoverished mother "who im
bued in me that we should never
capitulate to oppression.”
He acknowledged that the Sep
tem ber 11, 2001, terrorist at
tacks demanded a reaction by the
United States, but said the poli
cies o f the Bush administration
were not the right response.
“ Fascism is fascism. Terror
ism is terrorism. Oppression is
oppression," said Belafonte, who
served in the U.S. Navy during
W orld War II.
Bush, he said, rose to power
"som ew hat dubiously a n d ... then
lies to the people o f this nation,
misleads them, misinstructs. and
then sends off hundreds of thou
sands o f our own boys and girls
to a foreign land that has not
aggressed against us."
Pickett Shaped Blues Music
Veteran
soul singer
remembered
(AP) — Veteran soul singer
Wilson Pickett is being rem em
bered after his death Jan. 19 at
the age o f 64.
He was known as “W icked
Pickett” for his unique singing
style as well as his intensity both
on and off the stage. And he is
considered one who helped shape
modern rhythm and blues
Two of his hits, “Mustang
Sally” and “In the Midnight Hour”
were included in a “Rolling Stone”
list o f the greatest 500 songs of
all time.
P ick ett w as in d u c te d in to
the R ock and R oll H all o f
Legendary musician Wilson Pickett, performs on July 14.
Smooth Jazz Is Here!
F am e in 1991.
"He did his part. It was a great
ride, a great trip, I loved him and
I'm sure he was well-loved, and
I just hope that h e's given his
props," Michael W ilson Pickett,
the fourth o f the singer’s six
children, told W RC-TV in W ash
ington after his death.
“ In the Midnight Hour" made
the top 25 on the Billboard pop
charts in 1965 and "M ustang
Sally" did the same the following
year.
Pickett was defined by his
raspy voice and passionate deliv
ery. But the Alabama-born picket
actually got his start singing gos
pel music in church. After mov
ing to Detroit as a teen, he joined
the group the Falcons, which
scored the hit “I Found a Love"
with Pickett on lead vocals in
1962.
Deputy Shooting Justified
(A P ) — T h e C la c k a m a s man, who had reportedly growled
C ounty S h e riff's O ffice S hoot at the officers, bared his teeth
ing Review Board has d eter and yelled that he was going to
mined that Deputy Dave W illard kill them.
Kaady had been suspected in
acted w ithin existing rules and
regulations when he fatally shot at least three hit-and-run crashes
a naked and bloody G resham in the hours before his death.
T h o u g h the rev iew board
man last fall, officials said S at
found no violation o f sh e riffs
urday.
W illard and a Sandy police office policy. Sheriff Craig Rob
officer fired eight shots at 27- e rts said he w ill a sse ss the
departm ent's procedures, train
year-old Fouad Kaady.
Seven rounds hit the unarmed ing and tactics.
Tlortlanb (®b&cr\wr Established 1970
USPS 959-680 ___________________________________
4 7 4 7 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland. OR 97211
Charles H. Washington
Ei>iTon:Michael Le ig h to n
D is ik ih i tion M anauer : M a rk W ashington
C reative D irector : P aul N e u fe ld t
E ditor - in - chief , P iibi . ish ik :
The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs
should be clearly labeled and w ill be returned i f accompanied by a self addressed envelope.
A ll created design display ads become the sole property o f the newspaper and cannot be
used in other publications or personal usage w ithout the written consent o f the general
manager, unless the client has purchased the com position o f such ad. €) ,996 TH E
P O R T L A N D O B S E R V E R . A L L R IG H TS R ESERVED. R EPR O D U C TIO N IN W H O L E
OR KN PARI WITHOt I PI EMISSION is PROHIBITED
Portland's Only Smooth Jazz Station
The Portland Observer--Oregon's Oldest M u lticu ltu ra l P u b lica tio n -is a member o f the
National Newspaper Association -Hounded in 1885. and The N ational Advertising
Representative Amalgamated Publishers. Inc. New Y ork. N Y . and The West Coast Black
Publishers Association
P ostmaster :
k ijz.c o m
Send address changes to Portland Observer,
P0 Box 3 1 3 7 . Portland. 0 R 9 7 2 0 8
CALL 503-288-0033
PAX 5O3-288-OOI5
subscriptum@ponlandobserver.iom
3
I