BRIEFLY / AUTOS : Ford Ruled Out as First UAW Target

The United Auto Workers eliminated Ford Motor Co. as its possible bargaining adversary in pattern-setting contract talks for U.S. auto workers, focusing instead on DaimlerChrysler and General Motors Corp., union and company officials said after a meeting. The union received formal offers on wages and benefits from DaimlerChrysler and GM but not from Ford, they said. DaimlerChrysler’s U.S. president, Thomas Stallkamp, said last month that he wants the company to be lead negotiator for the first time in 26 years to avoid disruption at U.S. plants. The UAW is leaning toward selecting DaimlerChrysler partly because it can afford the union’s wage demands, officials said. Ford was dropped because it and the union are at an impasse over the possible spinoff of Ford’s Visteon parts unit, which the union fears could cost jobs, officials said. UAW contracts covering a combined 370,000 workers at the three auto makers expire Sept. 14. The UAW will decide next week which company to bargain with first, union officials said. The UAW seeks a pattern-setting agreement every three years at the company where its leaders expect to get the best contract.