The Detroit News reports today that Ford is preparing to slash up to 12 percent of its salary employee base.

A snippet:

Ford has 24,300 white-collar workers in the United States, Canada and Mexico. That could mean more than 2,000 U.S. workers could be getting pink slips by the end of July. It was not clear whether Ford Credit will be included in the cuts.

One detail that has been decided is that, unlike the last round of voluntary buyouts and early retirement offers, these will be involuntary layoffs. She acknowledged this was a bitter pill to swallow for a staff that has “been through a lot already,” but said Ford cannot wait six months for people to make up their minds about whether to stay or go.

If you get ANY corporate severance package, make smart choices as to what to do with those funds and benefits, and downsize your household budget immediately so that money lasts as long as possible. Many, many people who have lost their jobs in recent years didn’t get anything beyond state unemployment benefits. Whatever you get in a severance package, even if it is less than you’d like to have received, or think is fair for the circumstances, gives you a step up in a layoff recovery plan. Don’t waste the opportunity.