The union representing workers at the Detroit Three automakers in Canada selected General Motors Co.as its first target in labor negotiations as it seeks to guarantee production and jobs north of the border.
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The top priority for the union, named Unifor, is to persuade Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford Motor and General Motors to pledge to produce new vehicle models in Canada.
“We’d have to go elsewhere, I guess, and look for jobs”.
Canada’s autoworkers’ union, which steps up pressure in contract talks by naming a strike target on Tuesday, may see its ability to win concessions undermined by outside factors, ranging from high power rates to manufacturers’ increased reliance on more costly imported parts, industry experts say. Jerry Dias, president of Unifor, called General Motors the “biggest bully in the schoolyard”.
GM’s operations in Oshawa include two production lines. Since then, Ford has added 2,200 workers.
“We are comfortable that the existing platform that is in place and the products that are in Brampton today are secure”, Dias said.
“I don’t think there is going to be a strike”.
Unifor is again calling on senior governments to step up to the plate to help secure auto investment, but Chiodo says even if they don’t have that assurance, an agreement can be reached.
“The company has stated very clearly, very publicly that they understand our position, so we’re accepting good dialogue and again they are very, very aware of the outcome if there isn’t product and investment there”, he said. Each makes products scheduled to be phased out or that could be moved elsewhere unless the automakers decide to overhaul the plants with new equipment and make new or redesigned engines and vehicles there.
Among GM plants that could be hit by a strike are the St Catharines, Ontario, powertrain facility, which supplies engines to the company’s CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario.
This is of particular interest in Oshawa, where one of the GM production lines is slated for closure next year.
In the UAW-GM contract, retirement eligible workers were offered a $60,000 United States bonus plus a $500 retiree gift card.
“Unless some new engines are earmarked for the two Ford engine plants in Windsor, those two engine plants have no future and Unifor is well aware of that”, he said.
Oshawa is a ground zero of sorts for the ongoing contract negotiations, which kicked off last month, between the Detroit Three automakers and its unionized workers. Currently, new hires in all other plants have a hybrid pension plan that relies heavily, but not entirely, on investment schemes.
The outcome of negotiations also is import for thousands of MI workers at parts suppliers that make goods bound for auto plants in Canada. “They relate to the longevity of the paint shop”.
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“It’s about the community and jobs leaving Canada affects us all”, said James.
