AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) - More than 4,300 hourly employees of DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group have accepted early retirement and buyout packages offered as part of the automaker's recovery plan.
In the U.S. and Canada, 4,312 hourly workers - including more than 1,600 in Michigan - have accepted the packages, the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News reported Friday. The offers were made at facilities targeted for cuts.
''We are pleased, but we still have some work to do,'' Chrysler spokeswoman Michele Tinson was quoted as saying.
The company announced in February that it plans to shed 13,000 jobs, including 11,000 hourly positions over the next three years, as it tries to further shrink itself to match reduced demand for its products.
Chrysler is on track to cut its hourly work force by about 5,875 hourly positions this year, Tinson said.