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Ford Motor Co. halted an apprenticeship training program at its manufacturing plants nationwide after the nation's second biggest automaker was accused of discriminating against black employees in choosing who entered the program, a company spokesman says.The automaker says it did nothing wrong, but has agreed with its accusers to a previously-disclosed settlement that awaits approval by federal judges. Lawyers handling the litigation have asked the federal courts to approve the settlement as covering approximately 3,400 black employees of Ford plants around the country who took a test for the program on or after Jan. 1, 1997, and were not chosen to participate. If the deal is approved as is, Ford would make payments to the eligible participants, set aside 279 positions in the apprenticeship training program for blacks and pay the plaintiffs' lawyers' fees. The company operates 36 U.S. plants. The settlement could cost Ford more than $10 million, including payments of $2,400 apiece to current or former employees allegedly harmed by the apprenticeship selection procedure and $30,000 to the originally named plaintiffs. The higher payment is intended to compensate them for their assistance in the case and for release of their individual claims. Lawyers for the Ford workers said the selection program discriminated against black applicants, in violation of state and federal civil rights laws. [more]