Ford buyout plan a bit too successful

Ford Motor Co.’s plan to reduce its white-collar work force has worked too well in one or two departments, with the company losing more people than it wanted, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The company on Tuesday would not release the total number of people who took the early retirement or buyout offers because it said workers have until Monday to change their minds.

Monday was the deadline for acceptance. Ford is seeking to reduce white-collar employment by 10,000 this year, in addition to about 4,000 who left last year under similar offers.

But in a department or two, some may be told they can’t take buyouts because too many workers have decided to leave, said a person at the automaker who is familiar with the packages but didn’t want to be identified because the numbers are not final.

Ford spokeswoman Marcey Evans said the company would not comment on specific departments. She said Ford has always told workers that early retirement offers were unconditional but that it would limit the number taking buyouts if a particular department is hit too hard.

“If there were more acceptances than an organization was able to accommodate, then there would be certain criteria applied to determine who would be able to take it and who wouldn’t,” she said.

Conversely, there could be “involuntary” separations if too few workers take Ford up on its offers, Evans said.

Workers who signed up by the Monday deadline and end up accepting offers to leave will be gone by the end of February, Evans said.

She said Ford would not release total numbers who took the salaried buyouts until sometime in April.

•Shares of Kraft Foods Inc. fell Tuesday as the company’s CEO announced a new phase of the company’s turnaround plan that she hopes will help the world’s second-largest food and beverage maker revive slumping sales.

In a statement, the company said it will cut costs and try to become more relevant to consumers by reframing its business categories.

•The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday ordered Mittal Steel Co. to sell a Maryland mill to settle antitrust issues raised by its merger with Arcelor SA, rather than shed the West Virginia mill that had volunteered to be sold.

Mittal officials did not immediately comment on Tuesday’s announcement, which said the merger with Luxembourg-based Arcelor would have squelched competition for tin mill products in the eastern United States.