Dana hopes deal will help end bankruptcy

TOLEDO, Ohio — Auto parts maker Dana Corp. took a huge step Friday toward moving out of bankruptcy, striking a deal that will free it from paying for health care for retirees.

The company expects to save more than $100 million per year by shifting the responsibility of retiree health care to a union-controlled trust fund and establishing a two-tier wage system. Dana will put a one-time payment of $800 million into the trust fund and says retirees and the unions should not need to put any more money toward the plan.

The proposal could provide Detroit’s Big Three automakers with a roadmap on how to bring long-term health care costs under control and help them compete against Toyota and Honda.

Detroit automakers are expected to propose a similar fund in national contract talks with the United Auto Workers that formally begin later this month.

“It’s a template that many organizations will be following in the future,” said analyst Dennis Virag, president of Automotive Consulting Group in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Dana also announced Friday that Centerbridge Capital Partners will invest $500 million in the company, giving the investment group up to 25 percent control of Dana.

Centerbridge also agreed to help line up investors for an additional $250 million.

“These agreements will resolve significant ongoing cost issues when implemented, and they provide important momentum toward our completion of a reorganization plan,” said Dana Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Burns.

U.S. automakers and many other manufacturers have complained that the cost of retiree health has left them unable to compete with foreign companies with cheaper labor expenses.

The Detroit Three say they have a $30 per hour labor cost gap with Japanese competitors. They want to significantly reduce or eliminate the gap in this year’s contract talks.

The automakers also are studying a new contract between Akron-based Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and the United Steelworkers union with a similar health care trust fund.

Goodyear estimates it will save $275 million over the next three years by setting up the trust fund.