Ford Vehicle

Until he was laid off at the end of July as part of a sweeping round of white-collar cuts — including the first involuntary dismissals in decades — Almasy was living a lifelong dream, he says, one arguably as American as Motown itself. A dynamics engineer at Ford, he helped make parts — wheels, springs, bushings for Ford’s iconic Mustang sports car. It was a dream come true for a guy who grew up cruising around the area in the Mustangs that he loves.

“I bleed Ford Blue,” says Almasy, who lives in Harrison Township with his wife and son, who’s 10. The 43-year-old has owned nearly two dozen Mustangs, dating back to high school. “While I was there, and I hate to say it, but even after I’m gone.” Almasy and other younger current and former white-collar workers at the still family-controlled Ford seem to be particularly troubled by the historic contraction of the U.S.

auto industry and relentless pressure of foreign competitors, especially Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. White-collar Ford employees in their 30s and early 40s have enjoyed premium pay and benefits that most couldn’t get elsewhere, and now even high achievers are concerned about their jobs. Some fear they have already lost the ability to adapt to other cultures or industries, while others are eager to put the struggling auto industry behind them — if only they knew how.

Many haven’t looked for a job in a decade or more, since being hired by the automaker with an unusual family feel for its tremendous size. . The company was founded by Henry Ford in 1903. The Ford family controls the board of directors — William Clay Ford Jr. is executive chairman — and has numerous family members working at the company.