GM balks at Canadian union's wish list

[notacarguy]

Tuesday strike deadline looms as automaker rejects pension provisions of pattern agreement.


By Brett Clanton / The Detroit News



General Motors Corp. continues to resist contract terms with the Canadian Auto Workers union that Ford and Chrysler accepted earlier this month, raising the specter of a walkout as a Tuesday night strike deadline approaches.

Amid deep financial losses in North America this year, GM is pushing to reduce labor costs and cut jobs while threatening to withhold new investment in Canada if the union doesn't agree to its terms, CAW President Basil "Buzz" Hargrove said Saturday.

"All of these things make it very difficult to be optimistic today that we can conclude this, our last round of bargaining for 2005 with GM, without a shutdown," he said. "Having said that, there's a lot of hard work being done trying to find solutions."

GM is the last of Detroit's Big Three automakers to negotiate a new three-year labor contract with the CAW, which represents about 42,000 auto workers in Canada -- roughly 17,000 of them at GM.

Source: http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosins...B01-326019.htm

[AdmiralViscen]

I don't know what makes the CAW think a 'showdown' is necessary. They've sucked plenty out of GM's teat, and they're going to have to stop it if GM is to survive.

I guess Impala sales are going to be taking a dump.

[91z4me]

The CAW wants the Camaro, that is what it is all about.

[espo19047]

Originally Posted by 91z4me

The CAW wants the Camaro, that is what it is all about.

Do you think these guys care what they build? Is the CAW in competition with the UAW? These are my questions to the people who come to GMI.

[91z4me]

Originally Posted by espo19047

Do you think these guys care what they build? Is the CAW in competition with the UAW? This is my questions to the people who come to GMI.

It is a joke. I thought the smiley gave it away.

[steve333]

>The CAW last struck GM in 1996, and Hargrove warned the company against making such a "major error" again this year.<

Screw the hosers. Tell them to sod off and just bring production back to the States, in Alabama, where Hyundai manages to build cars without Union asswipes.

[plane]

Originally Posted by steve333

>The CAW last struck GM in 1996, and Hargrove warned the company against making such a "major error" again this year.<

Screw the hosers. Tell them to sod off and just bring production back to the States, in Alabama, where Hyundai manages to build cars without Union asswipes.

The UAW would never allow that to happen either.
Organized labor is feeling the pinch all over.
Boeing machinists, Northwest Mechanics, UAW workers too.
Look at GM's figures - they're paying retirees the same as workers.
Increases beyond that aren't sustainable - they're business suicide.
If the CAW takes the hardline on this one, I hope GM feeds Buzz to the buzzsaw (figuratively speaking of course).

[awalbert88]

If the CAW wants to strike, let them. Replace their jobs with salary workers who desire a fantastic benefits package, and when the CAW comes back to the table, kindly inform them that they are too late and should seek employment elsewhere.

The only way to get the UAW in line is to demonstrate that GM is dead serious about dropping the unions if they won't work with them. The CAW sounds like a great place to start.

[paul3230]

Hargrove is just playing hard ball, he knows that GM is in trouble. Yet, I'm not fully confident that GM can avoid a strike on this one..

[hotrod1949]

Highest quality, most productive plants GM owns in North America are represented by CAW in Oshawa,Ontario. The DCX & Ford agreements are not rich by any means, and each allows for 1000+ fewer workers.

CAW is a very progressive union, and much prefers to negotiate a settlement than strike.

[Cortazzo]

It would be a real coup if GM could let the CAW strike while using flexible production to pick up the slack is some of their US factories.

On a slightly different note, if you think the neg. with the CAW are bad, wait till the UAW contract expires. CAW employees are cheap in comparison because canada foots the bill for healthcare.

[hunchman]

Originally Posted by 91z4me

The CAW wants the Camaro, that is what it is all about.

lol.lol.....lol...........lol...................lo l..........................lol

[sags]

Canada is the only place that GM makes money year after year. They made 550 million last year with only a couple of assembly plants. Health care is primarily absorbed by the government. The pension plan is almost fully funded. The workers are paid in Canadian dollars and the cars are sold in American dollars. They should settle up with their workers who are the most productive, build the best quality, and cost the least. If they don't it will be just one more example of why GM is sinking so fast. GM doesn't have a problem settling with their Toyota/GM (NUMMI) plant workers or their Suzuki/GM (CAMI) workers. If GM was business savvy they would build more plants in Canada like Toyota and Honda are.

[mbukukanyau]

Originally Posted by paul3230

Hargrove is just playing hard ball, he knows that GM is in trouble. Yet, I'm not fully confident that GM can avoid a strike on this one..

GM should draw a line on the sand, and settle this once and for all.. since they already are not making any money, what is there to loose.. this is opportunity... trim down these unions, like the gorcery stores did in
california.. its now or never...

[mjd1001]

I have to admit I will think more highly of GM if they do hold their ground here.

It may sound bad, but I don't want to hear of a deal where they come out with a statement that says "both sides won". For GM to be successful as a corportation, they need a clear "Win" with the unions, CAW and UAW both.

Even with that, I'm pretty sure the CAW workers won't be thrown into a life of poverty.