Jan. 29--Ford Motor's 5,000 hourly employees in the Chicago area are set to receive profit-sharing checks of about $6,900 each in March.
The final figure could vary, depending on the hours worked by each employee.
In 2013, workers at those plants received profit-sharing payments of about $8,800.
Ford employs about 3,900 workers at the assembly plant on the Far South Side and about 1,100 at the stamping plant in Chicago Heights.
Nationwide, the company employs about 50,000 hourly employees represented by the United Auto Workers. Their 2011 labor agreement expires in September. The company and the union are expected to begin contract negotiations in the summer.
Profit sharing is tied to the company's North American pretax profit, which totaled $6.9 billion in 2014.
In a statement, UAW Vice President James Settles said union members work hard to contribute to the success of the company. "They know that these shared profits help them give the economy a bump with extra money they can spend to support their communities. Everyone wins," Settles said.
acancino@chicagotribune.com
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