The Ford computer program will be coordinated by PeoplePC Inc. of San Francisco.
Employees can upgrade to three more powerful computers at their own expense.
Putting computers in the homes of all Ford employees would allow him to reach the automaker's entire work force via the Internet. Yokich told reporters on Monday that the union was talking with Ford and DaimlerChrysler AG about putting computers in the homes of the companies' U.S. hourly workers. Officials at DaimlerChrysler, which has about 75,000 U.S. UAW employees, told Reuters on Monday that the company had not been contacted about the idea. General Motors Corp. The union represents about 172,000 hourly workers at GM, the world's largest automaker. This has got to be a joke.