Jason is correct in that they discontinued those items as a cost cutting factor because of the new contract that came out of the strike. My 68 GT Coupe has both but, my CS has neither. I think they cut them starting sometime in Jan - Feb 68.
The below information was obtained from the 1968 GT 390 World Registery as reported in the Company Newspaper: The Ford World
The strike started at 11:59 pm on Sept 7th 1967 and officially ended Nov 11th 1967.
On Aug 29, 1967 Ford Motor Company offered a new contract to some 150,00 workers represented by the UAW. That offer was rejected.
Sept 15, 1967 most assembly plants were being maintained by a skelton crew to keep certain operations at a minimum as to not damage systems such as heating, electricity and at the Glass Plant a 7 man crew maintained the furnace where molten glass was stored. Shutting down the coke oven took a week, slowly dropping the heat until the ovens were sufficiently cooled as not to cause damage. At the Rouge plant, 300 workers a day maintained the operations compared to the normal 32,461 required.
Oct 22, 1967 a new pact was reached.
- General Wage Increase of 20 Cents
- Added 30 cents for skilled tradesmen
- 9 1/2 to 17 cent an hour in the 2nd year and 10 cents to 17 1/2 the 3rd year
- Cost of Living Allowances
- Higher Pension Benefits tied to job classifications
- Added paid holiday each in 1967, 69 and 70 with provisions
- 12 additional minutes of relief time for certain operations
- Improved Medical Plan with Prescription Drug Program, fully paid
- Hospital/Surgical Medical Coverage
- Increased survivor befefits
Contract was set to expire Sept 14, 1970
Nov 22, 1967
Strike officially ends Nov 11, 1967
Price increase for 1968 Mustangs:
The suggested retail price of the 1968 model year was increased an average of $114.00 (3.9%) more than the 67's reflecting a rise in the cost of labor and materials. Labor itself had risen 45% since 1959. The profit margins had fallen over time. In 1966, sales climbed 6% but reported net income dropped 12%.
Don
