Workers at GM’s Oshawa Assembly Plant hold work stoppage over closure
The Canadian Press
General Automotive Automotive GM Oshawa UniforThe union confirmed the work stoppage this morning following an earlier protest on Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of Andrea G.
OSHAWA, Ont. – Unionized workers at the General Motors assembly plant in Oshawa, Ont., are holding another sit-down protest over the planned closure of the facility.
The union confirmed the work stoppage this morning following an earlier protest on Tuesday.
Unifor president Jerry Dias sat down with GM on Tuesday to talk about proposals the union had made to extend the life of the Ontario plant, but came away empty-handed.
The company has said the options suggested by the union, including extending the life of the Chevy Impala and Cadillac XTS produced at the plant or shifting production slated for Mexico to the plant, are not economically viable.
David Paterson, vice-president of corporate affairs at GM Canada, says the union should instead work with the company on timing and transition plans for the approximately 3,000 workers who are losing their jobs.
GM said it has identified job opportunities, is willing to pay for retraining and is open to negotiations on packages for workers on top of what is already included in contracts.
