UPDATE 2-Ford labor pact sparing some plants wins backing

(Adds detail from UAW documents, vote)

By Poornima Gupta and Jui Chakravorty

DETROIT, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) agreed to keep three U.S. plants open and delay closing another two as part of a tentative four-year contract with the United Auto Workers unanimously endorsed by union officials on Monday.

The endorsement sets the stage for a ratification vote by some 58,000 UAW-represented Ford workers expected to conclude by next Monday without the kind of deep-seated division that marked debate over the union's earlier deal with Chrysler LLC.

Under the tentative deal, Ford pulled back from a plan to close six U.S. facilities that it had not yet identified, sparing three U.S. assembly plants from closure.

In exchange, the company won the right to hire up to one-fifth of its U.S. work force under a lower-tier pay structure starting at just over $14 per hour -- roughly half its current average factory wage.

Ford pledged to build new models at two assembly plants in Wayne, Michigan and a third plant in Louisville, Kentucky, sparing those plants from closure and preserving over 7,000 UAW-represented jobs.

In addition, Ford will delay the planned closing of an assembly plant in St. Paul, Minnesota by one year to 2009.

The automaker also said it would delay the closure of a casting plant in Cleveland by a year until 2010.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said he did not expect Ford would follow Chrysler by announcing further job cuts once its workers had ratified the new contract.

Privately held Chrysler shocked and angered many in the union by announcing cuts of up to 10,000 additional factory jobs and scrapping four slow-selling models just days after clinching its own cost-cutting contract with the UAW after a close-fought ratification vote.

Gettelfinger, who said he was "absolutely not" aware of Chrysler's plans in advance, said he did not expect Ford to follow suit.

"We do not anticipate any additional cuts," Gettelfinger said of Ford after a union meeting on the terms of the proposed deal. "We are led to believe by Ford that nothing is in the offing for layoffs."

UAW officials, who had split on the Chrysler deal, quickly closed ranks to endorse the deal with Ford.

"We have job security for the next four years and that's more than anyone can ask for in this environment," said UAW Local 600 President Reggie Osborne, whose unit represents workers at a range of Ford facilities around Dearborn, Michigan.

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