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GM workers to protest for 'as long as it takes'

4K views 55 replies 39 participants last post by  ARCANGEL 
#1 ·
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080603/GM_block_080604/20080604?hub=TopStories

Several hundred General Motors employees have formed a roadblock in front of the company's Canadian head office in Oshawa, Ont. to protest the closure of a truck assembly plant.

Chris Buckley, president of the Canadian Auto Workers union Local 222, said Wednesday that the blockade will be in place for "as long as it takes."

The workers are protesting after GM announced Tuesday that it will be closing its truck plant in Oshawa by the end of next year.

Production at the Oshawa plant and three other North American factories will be shut down next year in response to "a clear shift from trucks and SUVs toward cars and crossovers" among North American buyers, said the company.

All of the plants slated for closure assemble pick-up trucks or sport utility vehicles.

GM said Tuesday that the closure will eliminate 1,000 jobs but union leaders said there are 2,600 people who will be out of work at the plant.

"We are demanding that General Motors reverse their decision to close their best truck plant in the corporation," Buckley told CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday.

"At the very least, we're demanding that the General Motors executives sit down with us so that we can attempt to work through this."

Buckley said the union just finished bargaining a new three-year collective agreement, which was ratified two weeks ago.

"General Motors committed to us in writing that we would get the next generation of light-duty pick up trucks," said Buckley.

"As of yesterday, General Motors has betrayed us and that is bad-faith bargaining."

Still, Buckley said workers will be on the job Wednesday.
 
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#3 ·
You are absolutely correct.... except why did GM, just weeks ago, promise to keep the plant open and talk about being the lead plant for the next gen trucks?

We have two options here:
a) GM lied to the CAW... which is going to cause a lot of problems. I'd like to see what is exactly written in the contract regarding this.
b) GM just made this decision in the last week or so... if this is the case, then GM has no hope.

One this is for sure though - this is gonna get UGLY!
 
#25 ·
with the $$$ rate of exchange it is cheaper to build the trucks in the states
 
#6 ·
There is a question of integrity.

The Oshawa plant is recognized for their quality and efficiency. The employees take great pride in what they do. GM successfully lobbied the province of Ontario for subsidies. GM signed an agreement with the CAW just weeks ago.

The media has jumped on the fact that its hard to believe that GM management did not know when they signed the CAW agreement that in two weeks they would be announcing the plant closure. GM is getting horrible media coverage over this decision and the general public are gaining an anti-GM mentality. Next to your home, the second largest purchase you will make is typically a vehicle. How much confidence can the public have in a manufacturer that constantly reports layoffs, plant closures, declining sales and that lies to their workers and the public.

I'm a loyal GM customer that has purchased more GM vehicles than I can recall yet even I have doubts in the future of this company. I can certainly appreciate why the Oshawa workers are so upset.
 
#45 ·
There is a question of integrity.

The Oshawa plant is recognized for their quality and efficiency. The employees take great pride in what they do. GM successfully lobbied the province of Ontario for subsidies. GM signed an agreement with the CAW just weeks ago.

The media has jumped on the fact that its hard to believe that GM management did not know when they signed the CAW agreement that in two weeks they would be announcing the plant closure. GM is getting horrible media coverage over this decision and the general public are gaining an anti-GM mentality. Next to your home, the second largest purchase you will make is typically a vehicle. How much confidence can the public have in a manufacturer that constantly reports layoffs, plant closures, declining sales and that lies to their workers and the public.

I'm a loyal GM customer that has purchased more GM vehicles than I can recall yet even I have doubts in the future of this company. I can certainly appreciate why the Oshawa workers are so upset.
You still must consider the question of whether you could trust a company that continues funnelling money and resources into producing a product line which doesn't sell.

Furthermore, though I understand the sore feelings left from the collapse of GM's earlier promise to continue production at the Oshawa plant, the sudden, unprecedented surge in fuel prices and the accompanying 30% decline in May sales were probably unthinkable to GM executives even a few weeks ago. Though in hindsight, such assurances should have accompanied better planning and forethought, I cannot see there being much motivation in closing the plant outside of attempting to survive in a soured economy and a generally declining auto industry.
 
#7 ·
I would pick up my things and move to China to make cars if I were in charge of GM. China has as good if not better work ethic than any union workers have here in North America. China has much much lower wages and they have an appreciation for work and having a job when it is clear for 30+ years that I have seen that UAW and CAW workers don't care at all for the companies they have parasitic relationships with. It is clear unions don't add anything to the companies that have them, look at Nissan, Honda, and Toyota. None of these companies have unions and they are eating the Big 3's lunches every single day of the week.
 
#14 ·
No we want it!!

As I said many of times Moraine and Oshawa has many things in common when it comes to Quality and Productivity. I admit that Oshawa edges us out. It is a shame that we get awarded with a "Your plant is going to be Closed". Look on the bright side Oshawa Truck plant, Atleast you get to flow in to the Car plants. We have nothing.....
 
#15 ·
Also those workers are just being a bunch of jack---. GM just had 19,000 workers take buy-outs more than they expected, those workers will be laid off for the short term and aquire positions elsewhere in the company but not with the attitudes that are being displayed currently
 
#16 ·
well, maybe they'll just force GM to shutter the plant sooner. if they don't want to build trucks, maybe that will help with the overages on dealer lots right now. the U.S. economy is doing some serious adjusting after years of booming, the whole thing is going to get ugly. it sucks, but it's what's happening.
 
#18 ·
Did I mention as far as I know Moraine Assembly isn't doing this kinda crap. Win for us I guess.
 
#21 ·
I can suppose that the Canadian dollar would rise from .65 cents a few
years back to over 1.00 recently against the US dollar didn't help!

OTOH..... GM is gonna close the plant in mexico also where they pay a
dollar or so a hour..............

Nobody is gonna win on this one !!!!!!!!
 
#22 ·
I don't think there would be a backlash if GM packed up all of the Canadian jobs and moved them to the U.S.
I know quite a few people gripe about "foreign" Canadian built GM products.
 
#27 ·
Exactly!!!

Some less than others. I think the range of layoff/temp shutdown pay is 60-90% of their regular pay. So many of the workers will have to find temp jobs, cut down on daily expenses, etc. to make ends-meet if necessary.

But the point is that they'll at least get something. And this change in operations by GM management shouldn't really come as a true surprise. Have they seen the news (or read a newspaper) lately? When was the last time any of them got more fuel? The writing was on the wall a long time ago, even before Ford announced plans to lower productions levels for its trucks & SUVs.
 
#32 ·
First off, Unions should just die off. They don't help the worker anymore. GM needs to go union-free in order to actually make a profit. They don't need this crap right now. These people are protesting about something that GM can not change. No one wants to buy big trucks and SUVs right now. Do they not know the cost of gas??
 
#39 ·
Go tell the teachers, police, fire, city and nursing care that unions should die. Unions are NOT gm's biggest problem or even 2nd biggest problem. You wanna talk about profit then look at the top at the ceo's and the board and then talk about profit if you're not sick at what you find. I guess having no union will help the price of gas too heh.
 
#42 · (Edited)
I believe that is the one someone called in yesterday to ask about and it was said it would be unlikely. You are best to pay attention to local news and what you hear from plant managers. Chances are that most of these plants will stay closed, no matter what UAW and CAW can attempt to accomplish.
 
#51 ·
They are wasting their time. They should be protesting in front of the Whitehouse - demanding a simple (but effective) solution to this problem. The SOLUTION (which while likely never happen, by the way) - is mandate tariffs on every import vehicle. Every single one - whether is' built in the U.S. or not. Add $3,000 to every Honda, Toyota, Nissan, etc - similar to the 1970s. But it will never happen because the political pussies that run this country don't have the conviction or balls to do such a thing. And it would be shot down by the liberal *******s that are running this country into the ground.
 
#52 ·
But it will never happen because the political pussies that run this country don't have the conviction or balls to do such a thing. And it would be shot down by the liberal *******s that are running this country into the ground.
It's not that they don't have convictions or "balls", but this would be economic suicide. Read up on things that contributed to the great depresssion. When the US jacks up tariffs through the roof, other countries will as well in retaliation. Next thing you know, nobody outside the US will want to buy our goods. (And I'm not talking just cars, I'm talknig about everything else)
 
#54 ·
Actually to your point about buying the ridgeline, and this is where Honda kills GM, they are currently building the Civic sedan, Ridgeline and MDX in plant 2 since plant 1 (Civic) is at capacity. There is even talk to move more civic production in. If GM could do this, that quickly then you'd see Malibus and Cobalts in more plants to balance market trends.
 
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