UAW and companies plan worker learning and day care centers

Herald staff

WASHINGTON — As a recognition that happier employees are better workers, Ford Motor Co., parts maker Visteon Corp. and the United Auto Workers are combining forces to build centers around the country that will offer round-the-clock child care, educational classes and other services to their workers.

The Family Service and Learning Center program was born of Ford’s 1999 contract agreement with the UAW, and company and union leaders on Tuesday unveiled their vision for the 30 centers scheduled to open in 14 states over the next several years.

UPS awarded new China routes: The Transportation Department on Tuesday approved all-cargo airline United Parcel Service’s new air service to China, and awarded additional routes to two passenger carriers and another cargo service that already fly to China. UPS was the big winner, obtaining six weekly round-trip routes to Beijing and Shanghai from Ontario, Calif., and Newark, N.J.

Tuesday’s prices: Gold sold for $266.15 a troy ounce, silver sold for $4.67 and platinum sold for $583.80.

Airbus orders: European aircraft consortium Airbus Industrie said Tuesday that International Lease Finance Corp., the industry’s largest leasing company, had signed a $5 billion contract to purchase 82 jetliners. International Lease Finance, a unit of U.S. insurer American International Group Inc., had announced a provisional commitment to buy the aircraft in July. Los Angeles-based International, which buys planes in bulk and leases them to others, is to acquire 62 aircraft in the A320 family and 20 A330 wide-bodies. Deliveries are scheduled to take place from 2002 to 2008, Airbus said.

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