CANADIAN LABOUR LONDON ONTARIO:

RALLY TO PUSH BACK AGAINST THE CORPORATE BULLDOZER CATERPILLAR INC.:

Since New Year's Day 425 workers at Electro-Motive (a subsidiary of heavy equipment firm Caterpillar) have been locked out. The demands of this quite profitable company are quite amazing - a 50% cut in wages as well as the decimation of benefits-, and it is entirely possible, as the following article points out, that management is not serious at all in its bargaining. The rally is being organized by a number of labour groups. The Electro-Motive workers are represented by the Canadian Auto Workers .The following article is from the Ontario Federation of Labour.

The CAW, along with other labour groups, is demanding that the federal government release the secret report undertaken for a foreign takeovers of a Canadian company on Caterpillar's purchase of the facility. This process is supposed to ensure that any foreign acquisitions are "in the interest of Canadians". How cutting Canadian wages in half is in said Canadians' interest is a mystery only known by Prime Minister Harper's inner circle. Caterpillar has a long record of hard nosed labour relations, having previously won a 17 month strike in the USA. On the other hand workers at Caterpillar France in 2009 won their contest with the company by taking managers hostage. Interesting thought.

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OFL TO MOBILIZE MASSIVE RALLY IN LONDON AGAINST CATERPILLAR INC:
London Day of Action declared for Saturday, January 21 at 11 am
(LONDON, ON) -- The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) today issued a call to workers across Ontario to mobilize for a massive rally in London, Ontario on Saturday, January 21 to oppose Electro-Motive Canada (a subsidiary of U.S. industrial giant Caterpillar Inc.) and its attack on decent paying Canadian jobs.

“We see this fight as being central to the entire labour movement and we are going to dig in our heels and fight Caterpillar with everything we’ve got,” said OFL President Sid Ryan. “Good jobs and retirement security are being threatened by greedy corporations and every level of government. If workers don’t start to fight back, decent jobs will become a thing of the past and the middle class will be decimated.”

Electro-Motive locked out workers at its London-based diesel train plant on New Year’s Day. It was the latest tactic in the company’s attempt to slash benefits and cut wages from $35 to $16.50 an hour, after a year in which Caterpillar enjoyed billion dollar profits and a 20 percent boost to production. The company is rumoured to be planning to take advantage of Ontario’s lax labour laws by bringing in scab labour to keep the plant operational while bullying the union into devastating concessions. Many fear that the company’s hidden agenda is to move production to a U.S. plant in Indiana.

“This greedy multi-national corporation is trying to bulldoze living standards in Canada. If Caterpillar is successful in halving wages and gutting benefits, families in London will lose their homes and the whole community will suffer,” said Ryan. “Prime Minister Harper and his friends on Bay Street don’t seem to care about the livelihood of working Canadians, so we are going to raise enough of a ruckus that it will be impossible for them to ignore us.”

In calling a Day of Action against Caterpillar, the OFL has promised to bus thousands of public and private sector workers from across Ontario to the London plant to demonstrate the support for the workers of Electro-Motive Canada. The rally will draw attention to the failure of the Harper government to protect Canadian jobs and interests when domestic companies are acquired by foreign multi-nationals. It will also call on Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty to support fair collective bargaining by banning the use of scabs in labour disputes.

“This mass rally is meant to define 2012 as a year of militant resistance against corporate greed. Workers are fed up with growing income inequities in our society and the governments that are allowing citizen-funded corporate tax cuts to fatten CEO salaries while delivering no net benefit to our economy or our families,” said Ryan. “The message for employers is simple: support decent jobs and benefits or it won’t be business as usual in Ontario.”

The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. OFL President Sid Ryan is the voice of Ontario’s labour movement.

Related Web Sites:
http://www.Twitter.com/OntarioLabour
http://www.Facebook.com/OntarioFedLabour

For More Information:
Patrick (Sid) Ryan, President
p: 416.441.2731 m: 416.209.0066 f: 416.441.0722
Toll-free: 1-800-668-9138

Joel Duff, Communications Director
p: 416-443-7665 m: 416-707-0349 f: 416-441-1893

cope343

LOCAL EVENTS WINNIPEG:

SOLIDARITY PICKET FOR BRISTOL AEROSPACE WORKERS:

Happening this afternoon from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm

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Solidarity Picket at Bristol!
Time Wednesday, May 4 · 4:00pm - 6:00pm

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Location

Bristol Aerospace
660 Berry
Winnipeg, MB

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More Info

CAW 3005 members at Bristol Aerospace have been on strike for a few weeks now, fighting to preserve. So, lets go down and support them, because an injury to one is an injury to all, and we have to all support each other in this messed up world of capitalism and neoliberalism.

Bring your bodies, your spirit, and your union flags!

The Manitoba Federation of Labour is planning a mass picket at 4pm-6pm, Wednesday, May 4th.

For folks who can't make it out on Wednesday afternoons, we're also working on another picket on the morning of Thursday, May 5th, at 10am-12 noon.

Solidarity forever!

CANADIAN LABOUR ONTARIO:
CAW DAY OF ACTION:


This Wednesday, October 27, the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) will be holding a day of Action across Ontario where they will protest the continued erosion of workers' rights and benefits by the employers. Here's the announcement of times and places.
CAWCAWCAWCAW


CAW Auto Parts Workers 15,000 Strong Demonstrate Across Ontario
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CAW members in the auto parts sector will be demonstrating outside their respective workplaces on Wednesday, October 27 for a province-wide Day of Action. In more than 100 workplaces across Ontario, workers will be staging rallies, calling for an end to the downward pressure on working conditions and employer demands for severe contract give-backs.

This is the first time such a large-scale effort has been orchestrated by Canada's auto parts workers. The Day of Action also includes a massive outreach effort to non-unionized auto parts workers, including those employed by Magna.

CAW National President Ken Lewenza and Assistant to the President Jerry Dias will be attending the rally at Burlington Technologies, located at 3267 Mainway Drive in Burlington at 12:30 p.m.

Here is a cross section of key rally locations and contact information:

Brampton
Benteler Automotive
9195a Torbram Road - 10:20 a.m.
Gerry Harvey, CAW Local 1285 2nd Vice President (cell) 416-456-2310

Guelph
CPK Interior Products (Formerly Guelph Products)
500 Laird Road - 10:00 a.m.
Robin Dudley, CAW Local 1917 President (cell) 519-993-8985

Ingersoll
Autrans
17 Underwood Road - 11:00 a.m.
Kellee Janzen CAW Local 2163 President (office) 519-425-9028

Hamilton/ Dundas
El-Met Parts
47 Head Street, Dundas - 12:00 p.m.
Randy Smith, CAW Local 504 President (cell) 905-973-3231

Kitchener
Lear Seating
530 Manitou Drive - 11:25 a.m.
Tim Mitchell, CAW Local 1524 President (cell) 519-749-5110

London/ Glencoe
Cooper Standard
268 Appin Road, Glencoe - 11:00 a.m.
Tim Carrie, CAW Local 27 President (cell) 519-318-1022

Oakville
Automodular
2335 Speers Road - 11:00 a.m.
Angus MacDonald, CAW Local 1256 President (cell) 905-467-5133

Stratford
Cooper Standard Automotive
1030 Erie Street - 10:00 a.m. rolling to 12:30 p.m.
Kim Kent, CAW Local 4451 Vice President (cell) 519-272-9004

St. Thomas
Legatt & Platt (formerly Crown North America)
43 Gaylord Road, Unit #2 - 12:00 p.m.
Ryan Dolby, CAW Local 2168 President (office) 519-631-2005

St. Catharines
Tora Investments Inc.
15 Cushman Rd - 12:00 p.m.
Wayne Gates, CAW Local 199 President (cell) 905-328-9532

Tillsonburg
Reiter Automotive Systems (formerly Mastico Industries Ltd.)
73 Goshen St. - 12:00 p.m.
Fran Ward CAW Local 1859 President (office) 519-688-0051

Toronto
Woodbridge Foam
8214 Kipling Avenue, Woodbridge - 9:30 a.m.
Roland Kiehne, CAW Local 112 President (cell) 416-801-1120

Windsor/ Tecumseh
Canadian Engineering
2265 South Cameron Boulevard - 12:00 p.m.
Gerry Farnham, CAW Local 195 President (cell) 519-980-4195

Integram Seating
201 Patillo Road, Tecumseh - 11:00 a.m.
Dave Cassidy, CAW Local 444 Financial Secretary (cell) 519-999-7708

Woodstock
TRW (Formerly Kelsey-Hayes)
155 Beard's Lane -12:00 p.m.
Ross Gerrie, CAW Local 636 President (cell) 519-535-2014

CANADIAN POLITICS:

THE CAW ON THE NEW FEDERAL BUDGET:

Molly blogged a couple of days ago on the new Conservative federal budget. We also offered you the opportunity to express your opinion on this issue over at our sister site Molly's Polls. Since then there have been numerous opinions expressed. Here's one from the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW).

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Conservatives Take More than Two Months on Do Nothing Budget, CAW President says
"This budget does little to help Canadian workers secure their footing during a period of severe economic instability and is rooted in government-destroying, deeply ideological values," CAW President Ken Lewenza said in response to Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's budget today.

The budget shifts the Conservative government policies further in favour of businesses and corporations, to the detriment of average Canadians. It outlines a series of plans to reduce the federal deficit through major spending cuts, including $6.8 billion from the public service budget. The budget also highlights the government's intent to further reduce tariffs on manufacturing inputs, deregulation of the telecommunications and uranium mining sectors, an expansion of free trade, and boasts that Canada will have the lowest corporate tax rate in the G7 by 2012.

The Harper government also re-announced $19 billion earmarked for stimulus projects in 2010. Lewenza said what Canada needs is a commitment from government to invest in ongoing infrastructure development to close the current funding deficit and genuinely build the country, not just through one-off stimulus projects.

"With hundreds of thousands of Canadians facing tremendous insecurity and hardship because of inadequate Employment Insurance and pension benefits, I expected to see tangible support from this government," Lewenza said. "After taking more than two months to recalibrate, this budget is nothing short of pathetic."

The Harper government is refusing to improve eligibility criteria and ensure the special EI extensions go to all workers, so that more workers will be covered by EI, instead of falling through the cracks in the country's social safety net. Lewenza said these demands are even more important today with approximately 800,000 unemployed Canadians expected to lose their EI in the coming months and that all EI enhancements are still scheduled to end this year.

"The past months have shown us that Canadians are very concerned about their pensions and retirement savings," Lewenza said. "In the face of a looming pension crisis, this was the time for our government to take the lead and act on major pension reforms, including major improvements to Canada's public pension system. They did nothing."

On positioning Canada's economy for future growth, the Conservative government has once again failed to provide the necessary investments in long-overdue renewable energy infrastructure projects, public transit improvements and other initiatives to spur sustainable and 'green' economic development that help put people back to work, Lewenza said.

"This government refuses to consider the long-term and strategic economic and ecological benefits of taking on the global climate crisis."

"It is outrageous to think that the Harper government undercut our country's democracy, abused the privileges of the Prime Minister's Office and wasted away two months of work to show up with a budget that does nothing."

CANADIAN LABOUR-NOVA SCOTIA:

FERRY PROTESTERS BRIEFLY OCCUPY GOVERNMENT OFFICE:

Four days ago people protesting the closure of the Yarmouth-Maine ferry service occupied a government office in Halifax. See here at the CBC. Here's how the action was seen by the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW). From their website....

NSNSNSNSNSNSNS

Protesters Take over N.S. Government Office to Save Ferry:
Demonstrators took over a Nova Scotia government office on February 4 following a spirited rally calling on the Nova Scotia government to reverse its decision to end the high-speed ferry service between Yarmouth, N.S., Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine.

The group of approximately 250 people, including CAW members and staff, eventually left the building peacefully.

Politicians of all stripes, except for the NDP, attended the rally outside and spoke in favour of keeping the ferry service, including Yarmouth Mayor Phil Mooney. CAW President Ken Lewenza also spoke at the rally and pressed the need to reverse the decision which was made suddenly and without consultation.

"The short-term and long-term effects of this decision are devastating to every industry -from tourism to shipbuilding," said Lewenza. The end of the ferry service means a loss of 100 direct jobs and 500-600 spin-off jobs. Lewenza said that the Yarmouth to Maine route is the only crossing that isn't supported by the federal government and this situation must be fixed for the long term viability of the communities that rely on the ferry service."

To hear more about why Nova Scotians need the Yarmouth ferry, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/user/rescueourferry#p/a/f/1/X2iaFxs41YQ

CANADIAN LABOUR-TORONTO:

CAW SLAMS ONTARIO GOVERNMENT OVER LACK OF PUBLIC INQUIRY:

Molly has reported before (here and here) about the deaths of four construction workers in Toronto on Christmas Eve. Despite the many troubling aspects of this scaffold collapse the government of Ontario has decided not to hold a public inquiry about the incident. The following, from the website of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), tells how labour has reacted to this apparent unconcern for workplace safety. Molly became aware of this statement via the CEP Union Blog.

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CAW Blasts Labour Minister After Refusing Public Inquiry into Construction Worker Deaths:
January 7, 2010, 4:04 PM EST
CAW President Ken Lewenza is calling on the Ontario government to reverse its decision not to hold a full public inquiry into the deaths of four Toronto construction workers on Christmas Eve, following a statement today by Ontario Minister of Labour Peter Fonseca that no public inquiry would take place. Lewenza called this decision "shameful."

"The government of Ontario must respond responsibly and hold a public inquiry into both the accident and the factors that allowed it to happen," said Lewenza, reiterating earlier calls by labour leaders for a public inquiry. "There should be no excuse for such an accident to happen, after years of improvements to health and safety standards and legislation. Even the strongest of legislation will not protect workers if they are unaware of their rights or unable to exercise them and I fear this was the case."

Lewenza expressed grave concerns that the workers were uninformed on their right to refuse unsafe work, a fundamental right under the province's health and safety legislation.

In a letter to Premier Dalton McGuinty, Lewenza urged that a public inquiry must also reveal how common the disregard for basic safety rules actually is in the non-unionized construction industry, the same industry where many new Canadians find themselves working.

"There are a number of systemic issues which led to the circumstances of this tragic accident and the terrible disregard for human life," said Lewenza, "and they must be thoroughly investigated in a transparent and publicly accountable manner."

CANADIAN LABOUR-MISSISSAUGA:

PLANT OCCUPATION WORKED:

Back on December 22 Molly reported on a factory occupation at the M&I Air Systems Plant in Mississauga Ontario. The dispute involved management attempting to dodge their obligations upon closing the facility. The workers responded by occupying the premises. I'm happy to report that this example of direct action worked, and the workers have been paid the money owed them. One more example of the anarchist contention that direct action is often the most effective tactic for defending your rights. Sometimes it's the only one. Here's the good news from the website of the Canadian Auto Workers.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Workers Receive Owed Monies Following Plant Occupation:
January 5, 2010, 10:49 AM EST
Workers at M&I Air Systems received their pay cheques in the days following a plant occupation and demonstration by the workers and supporters, held on December 21.

The Mississauga, Ontario plant suddenly closed its doors on December 15, throwing 180 people out of work, 150 of which were members of CAW Local 252. The employer refused to pay outstanding monies owed to the workers following the closure, which prompted the workers to take immediate action.

"The action taken by these workers was absolutely necessary, as the employer refused to have any dialogue with the local union and/or the local plant committee," said CAW Local 252 President Abbot Harvey. "This situation underscores one more time, the importance of legislative protection for workers and their families."

The union is still working on securing vacation pay, as well as an additional week's pay.

"Without the show of solidarity and support, the workers here would have never seen the money that was owed to them," said Sukhvinder Johl, CAW national representative. "It's an important reminder that even when the situation looks bleak, our actions as a union do make a difference."

The workforce is primarily first generation Canadians with a range of seniority from a few years up to 20 years. The company has not filed for bankruptcy protection and there is still hope that it will re-open.

M&I Air Systems manufactures air handling and ventilation units.

CANADIAN LABOUR/AMERICAN LABOUR:

THE UNION HOTEL GUIDE:

Planning on getting away from it all for the holidays ? If so this item from the AFL-CIO Blog may be of interest. A guide to which hotels are unionized, a better deal because it's a fairer deal. The original guide comes from the Hotel Workers Rising website, sponsored by the Unite Here union. My only objection...the guide only lists hotels that are organized by this one particular union. Here in Canada (and I suspect the case is the same in the USA) there are a number of hotels that are organized by other union such as The Nova Scotia Union of Public and Private Employees, Local 17, the UFCW and, most prominently the Canadian Autoworkers (CAW). You can find a substantial guide to the many hotels organized by the CAW HERE. Think of this addition to what comes below as Molly's little pre-Christmas gift.

⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂⌂

UNION HOTEL GUIDE:

Union Hotel Guide before you book a room. The user-friendly online directory helps you identify union-staffed hotels across the country.

Just plug in city and state( or province-Molly ), and the site will display a list of hotels in the area that employ UNITEHERE! members and are doing right by their workers. You also can add the name of a hotel chain as part of the search. Click here for the Union Hotel Guide.

A link on the site also enables you to quickly see which hotels are on the union’s boycott list and where workers are on strike.

UNITEHERE! is working across the country to bring a better life to hotel workers who often are underpaid and who work long, hard hours to make our stay comfortable and safe. For example, the union is urging customers to boycott three hotels in the San Francisco area, including the Westin St. Francis, where 650 workers ended a two-day strike on Nov. 21. The Palace and the Grand Hyatt, the sites of previous strikes also are on the boycott list.

Members of UNITEHERE! Local 2 voted by a 92 percent to 8 percent margin to authorize strikes at any of the 31 upscale hotels in San Francisco. Despite earning record profits over the past five years, the hotels are using the recession as an excuse to demand changes in eligibility for the employees’ health care plan that would eliminate coverage or put it out of reach for many workers.

CANADIAN LABOUR:
NORTEL MANAGEMENT SNEAKS AWAY WITH BONUSES:
The arrogance and dishonesty is almost unbelievable. Bonuses paid for driving a company into bankruptcy. Unless, of course, you believe, like Molly does, that managers are a parasitic class who contribute nothing to the production of goods and services and who have replaced the nominal owners of most companies (the shareholders represented by diversified stock in RRSPs and pension funds) as the real "ruling class". If you believe as Molly does then looting a bankrupt corporation is pretty well much par for the course, and thus I am not surprised by the following. Merely disgusted. First, from the Toronto Star is the mainsteam media report on what has happened.
↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔
Ex-Nortel staff slam executive bonuses
Payment in leaked file to keep bosses on board:
Iain Marlow Business Reporter
Nortel Networks Corp. pensioners reacted with disgust on Friday to reports of new lavish bonuses for the company's top executives.





It was yet another blow to Nortel's distressed pensioners, retirees and long-term disabled former employees, who have dealt with financial uncertainty since the former Canadian tech darling declared bankruptcy in January.





"It seems so aberrant, in terms of the executive of the company awarding themselves really, really rich pay raises for doing the job of taking the company apart," said Tony Marsh, who retired from Nortel in 2000 after 30 years.





"Those of us who built the company up, into arguably the world's No. 1 telecom company, could never have dreamed of such riches," Marsh added.





An internal Nortel file "outlines a new compensation scheme for 72 Nortel executives that will see them get a total of $7.5 million U.S. on top of their current salaries in 2009," according to CBC News.





The company has argued that bonuses are necessary to keep executives aboard what is essentially a sinking ship following Nortel's filing for bankruptcy protection and the subsequent selling off of the company's assets. ( Molly would suggest the least educated, experienced and effective accountants in the whole country of Canada as better people "on board" than the past Nortel executives. Wanna argue ? )





Nortel would not comment on details of the plan. It issued a statement saying: "As Nortel works through the highly complex tasks of this restructuring, it is critical to have the right specialist resources in place ... Any steps taken around these individuals has been within the context of a previously approved compensation plan, taken in consultation with the creditor committees, external legal counsel and the Canadian Monitor."





Earlier, former CEO Mike Zafirovski claimed $12.3 million (U.S.) for back pay and bonuses. In March, some 100 executives were awarded $45 million in retention bonuses.





The company's divisions are being auctioned off in a process dragged out by bankruptcy court approvals. Retirees are worried that when Nortel's various global divisions are entirely sold off, they will be stuck with even less than they are now, which is not much, Marsh said.
↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔
Here's what the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) who have the misfortune of representing the Nortel workers and the pensioners/disabled workers have to say about the subject.

↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔↔
CAW Condemns Corporate Bonuses at Nortel, while Retirees and Former Workers Left for Broke:
November 27, 2009, 10:55 AM EST
CAW President Ken Lewenza is denouncing the news of more corporate bonuses and salary increases at Nortel Networks Corp, while workers are still fighting to get their due severance, termination pay and pensions.





"This is the worst kind of abuse of corporate power - laying off workers and leaving them with nothing while the executives who drove the company into the ground fill their pockets," said CAW President Ken Lewenza. "This is deplorable and must be stopped."





Lewenza criticized yesterday's Ontario court ruling that Nortel retirees and former employees will not receive the severance or termination pay as set out in their separation packages.





"This is another example of why we need urgent changes to the bankruptcy laws in this country," said Lewenza. "Companies like Nortel can go into bankruptcy protection and eliminate their financial responsibilities towards former workers. In the case of Nortel, it is even more offensive since they are still paying out huge corporate bonuses, while completely ripping off retired or laid-off workers."





"It is exactly this kind of manipulation of the system that plunged the world economy into crisis last fall - it's truly repugnant that we've learned nothing from this experience."





Lewenza said that the union will continue to fight on behalf of the current and former Nortel workers. The union will be ramping up pressure on government to bring about necessary changes to the bankruptcy legislation, which currently sees workers bumped to the end of the line when companies go into bankruptcy. The union is also pressing for a national guaranteed pension fund which would help cover the pensions of workers whose employers go into bankruptcy protection or bankrupt.





In the company's heyday in the mid 1980s, the CAW represented approximately 5,000 Nortel workers in five locations.





The story of a new round of corporate bonuses at Nortel surfaced yesterday through a report by the CBC, who obtained the internal corporate document.

CANADIAN LABOUR-SCARBOROUGH:

SOLIDARITY WITH STRIKING ZELLERS WORKERS:

Since July 16 members of Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) Local 1000 have been on strike at the Zeller's warehouse in Scarborough Ontario. The local is asking for whatever support you can give. Here is the appeal from the CAW. please note that you don't have to be a CAW member to help out.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCL

Support Striking Zellers Workers in Scarborough:
The CAW has launched a financial appeal for the 345 CAW Local 1000 members who work at the Zellers distribution warehouse in Scarborough, who have been on strike since July 16 fighting company demands for concessions.

"There is no end in sight for this strike, as the employer has tabled many concessions including an $8 per hour wage reduction, elimination of severance entitlements, longer working hours, reduction in relief time and increased use of temporary workers," CAW President Ken Lewenza states in a letter to CAW Local union presidents.

Lewenza is urging CAW members to join Zellers workers on the picket line, whenever possible in a show of solidarity. He is also requesting CAW local's maximum financial support as well as messages of solidarity to be sent to CAW Local 1000. Cheques should be made payable to CAW Local 1000 and sent to:
Dwayne Gunness, President

CAW Local 1000

208-1610 Weston Road

Toronto, On M9N 2B1

CANADIAN LABOUR:

AUTOWORKERS HOLD SOLIDARITY RALLY WHILE JUDGE MULLS OVER GM INJUNCTION REQUEST:

As Justice David Salmers heard a request from the General Motors corporation to end the blockade of their Oshawa Ontario headquarters (and award them $ 1.5 million in "compensation" for the action that was undertaken after GM broke their contract with the CAW-cough, cough, cough) autoworkers from southern Ontario held a solidarity rally near the Oshawa truck plant that is at the centre of the dispute. Molly reproduces a story below about the court case from the Reuters News agency. One correction to what appears below has to be noted. According to an article in the Toronto Star the number of people at the rally was 1,500 to 2,000 not "several hundred" as reported below. As an "incidental detail" an article from the Canadian Press yesterday reported that the Ontario government is in negotiations with GM to award the company's actions in breaking agreements with both the CAW and the province of Ontario by anteing up money for a third "car line" at another Oshawa plant. The judge's decision on GM's application is expected tomorrow.

..............................................

GM Canada and autoworkers in court over blockade
Thu Jun 12, 2008 2:04pm EDT



TORONTO, June 12 (Reuters)

- The fate of the blockade of General Motors of Canada's (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) headquarters in Oshawa, Ontario by the Canadian Auto Workers union, now in its ninth day, is in the hands of a judge on Thursday.

GM is arguing for an injunction to end the action and for C$1.5 million ($1.47 million) in compensation from the Oshawa local of the CAW and five of its members.

Shortly after the case began in a Whitby, Ontario, court room, several hundred Canadian autoworkers and their supporters kicked off a "solidarity" rally near the Oshawa truck plant that GM plans to close late next year.

The plant, which employs 2,600 union members, is one of four in North America GM plans to shutter as it shifts its focus to producing more fuel efficient vehicles in response to changing customer demand as gasoline prices soar.

GM announced the September 2009 closure about a week-and-a-half ago, just two weeks after it signed a three-year labor agreement with the CAW in which it said it would keep the plant open until 2011.

That set off cries of betrayal from the union and the blockade of GM Canada's headquarters, which has forced about 1,000 GM office staff to work from home.

A high-level meeting between CAW leadership and top GM officials in Detroit last Friday was fruitless, the union said.

The CAW ramped up its protests the following day, halting production at GM's Oshawa complex for about 45 minutes by way of a convoy of hundreds of cars that slowly circled the plants, preventing shipments from coming or going.

Aside from the truck plant, which produces the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra, the complex includes a car plant where the Chevrolet Impala is currently built and the Camaro is set to begin production. The province of Ontario has said it is in discussions with GM about adding a third car to that line. ($1=$1.02 Canadian) (Reporting by John McCrank; Editing by Frank McGurty)

© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved

CANADIAN LABOUR:

CAW BLOCKADE OF GM HEADQUARTERS ENTERS THIRD DAY:

As Molly writes this this morning the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) blockade of the General Motors head office in Oshawa Ontario has entered its third day. Union leader, Buzz Hargrove, has entered into talks in Detroit with the executives of GM about the situation. Buzz, however, may be past his best-before date as he limps through his last year as head of the CAW. His recent performances as leader have been less than stellar as he seems more interested in cozying up to management rather than defending the rights of his membership. A pattern of poor contracts and blaming the government and the economy rather than management has been pretty consistent for him in the last few years. While he was "cautiously optimistic" in a statement to the press before entering into the talks this morning we will see what the day will bring. For a rank and file view of the United Auto Workers, the American equivalent of the CAW, see Future of the Union and Soldiers of Solidarity. While these organizations are based in the USA they often carry news about the Canadian situation.

Here is a report from the Oshawa area ie the Durham Region News about the situation as of yesterday.

....................................

GM head office blockade continues

Read the 22 page online special report: The Truck Stops Here

OSHAWA -- The blockade continues on Colonel Sam Drive in front of the GM head office in Oshawa.

About 50 GM workers have held their position since Wednesday morning to protest plans by the company to shut down the truck plant in Oshawa and eliminate up to 2,600 jobs.

The Canadian Auto Workers union says it will not back down until the company meets face-to-face with the union to explain the decision.

A meeting has been scheduled for 8 a.m. Friday in Detroit. CAW president Buzz Hargrove and Local 222 president Chris Buckley will be among the union leaders to meet with General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner.

Federal Liberal finance critic John McCallum, MP (Markham-Unionville), was expected to show his support for the workers at a news conference scheduled for 10 a.m. at the protest line.

The Liberals have criticized Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty for comments that they say discouraged companies from investing in Ontario.

The protest has not affected production on the assembly line, and workers are being told by the union to report for their regular shifts.

GM, the country's biggest automaker, stunned the union and thousands of workers on Tuesday by announcing plans to close the 43-year-old truck plant in the second half of 2009.

New Democratic Party leader Howard Hampton, who also wore a red shirt, joined the workers yesterday.

At the demonstration, GM worker Sherry Fallis said she won't know what to do if the truck plant closes. She lost her job at a plant that supplied GM four years ago, leaving her fearful about supporting her four-year-old son.

Describing her final days at ACSYS Technologies, she told the Toronto Star, "We were hanging onto hope."

Ms. Fallis and about 1,200 other employees transferred to GM, and she thought she had a permanent position.

"It's happening all over again. I don't know what we're going to do," she said.

This time around, Fallis, 32, has a second young son to support. And her husband works at another nearby feeder plant that builds seats for GM's trucks. He'll probably be losing his job too, she said.

Other workers at the demonstration face similar difficulties.

"It's a little scary, what's going on right now," said Tim Lepine, 27. Having little seniority after just six years at GM, Mr. Lepine knows he would be one of the first in line to lose his job in 2009. In the meantime, he said, he will try to save whatever money he can.

"It's pretty bleak, what's going to happen in the future," said GM car-plant employee Jesse Forbes, chair of the union's youth committee.

It represents members under 31, and most will probably be out of work if the plant closes, he said.

"They've just gotten married and had kids and got their house, and they realize how hard it's going to be if their jobs disappear."

CANADIAN LABOUR:

AUTOWORKERS BLOCKADE GENERAL MOTORS HEADQUARTERS IN OSHAWA:

In the wake of the recent announcement by General Motors that they plan to renege on a collective agreement signed only two weeks ago with the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) that offered substantial concessions on the part of the workers in return for assurances of job security angry workers have blockaded the General Motors headquarters in Oshawa Ontario. In addition to the insulting lie delivered to the autoworkers at the very time when they were planning the closure GM has also reneged on an agreement with the government of Ontario that gave GM almost half a billion dollars in return for a promise to maintain a certain number of jobs in Ontario. The corporate arrogance is overwhelming. Quite frankly they think that they can get away with any crime. Molly will be blogging further on this breaking news in days to come. For now here is the story as transmitted by the business pages of the Globe and Mail.

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Angry union members blockade GM Canada head office
OSHAWA, Ontario (Reuters)

- Hundreds of angry autoworkers blockaded the entrance to General Motors of Canada's headquarters in Oshawa, Ontario, on Wednesday, demanding the company reverse its decision to close the local truck plant and crying foul over the timing of the closure.

"We're not allowing any GM of Canada employees to enter the headquarters building," said Chris Buckley, of the Canadian Auto Workers union, which says 2,600 jobs will go if the truck plant closes.

"We are going to stay here until General Motors reverses the decision they made yesterday, or at the very least commits to a product for the Oshawa truck plant, or sits down face-to-face with this union to try to explain why they have broken our brand new agreement."

GM said it would meet with the union in Detroit on Friday.

The company announced on Tuesday it would closed the Oshawa plant, and three others in North America, as it tries to shore up a restructuring plan that has been overtaken by a steep decline in U.S. sales of pickup trucks and SUVs in the face of surging gas prices and tight credit.
Two truck plants in the United States and one in Mexico are also slated to close.

Up to 750 people, many clad in red T-shirts emblazoned with a white maple leaf and the words "Made in Canada matters," peacefully blocked the road leading to GM's Canadian headquarters.
"I feel sick about this situation and all I can do is visualize GM workers on the welfare line," said Jim Bedford, a retired GM employee from nearby Bowmanville, Ontario.
BARGAINING FAITH QUESTIONED
The CAW, which has around 13,000 members at GM, says the closure of the Oshawa plant is a betrayal. GM and the CAW signed a new three-year labor agreement on May 15 that included a wage freeze and a promise by GM to boost production in Canada rather than cut it.

Under that deal, GM said it would start producing hybrid versions of two of its trucks at the Oshawa plant.

The plant currently produces the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra crew-cab and extended-cab pickup trucks, which GM Canada spokesman Stew Low said are taking the biggest hit of GM's products in the United States.

He said the hybrid versions of the Silverado and Sierra would still be built and rolled out at the end of the year, but at other plants, either in the United States or in Mexico.

Auto analyst Dennis DesRosiers said in a note that the final decision to close the Oshawa plant probably had not yet been made during the bargaining, but the company most likely had an idea of what it wanted to do. (Molly Note: 'Final Decision' means "the actual order to close". This is something quite different from making the plans for such a thing. Given corporate 'speed" I really think that this involves deliberate lieing on the part of management during the negotiations).

"The real reason is that they didn't have to and it would weaken their position in the labor talks ... And why would GM provide (CAW President Buzz Hargrove) this information which would only have strengthened the CAW position and hardened the resolve of the CAW."
U.S. CONSUMERS WANT FUEL ECONOMY
GM's Low said the closure boils down to a rapid shift in customer demand away from larger gas-guzzlers as pump prices surged to record levels.

"Our main customer is the U.S. and there is a huge and very drastic shift away from trucks and SUVs and we have to react to that because we can't continue to buy vehicles that people aren't buying," Low said.

U.S. auto sales figures released on Tuesday showed GM truck sales were down 39 percent in May from a year earlier. Sales of the Silverado were off 44 percent and those of the GMC Sierra down 33.9 percent.

GM's moves to close the four plants, along with shift reductions, will reduce its truck capacity by over 700,000 and total North American capacity to 3.7 million by 2010, which should result in $1 billion in cumulatively savings by 2010, said Mark Warnsman, an auto analyst at Calyon Securities.

GM also operates a car plant in Oshawa that produces the Chevrolet Impala and Camaro and other models.

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said the federal government is interested in helping GM begin production of a new car at the Oshawa car plant.

He said he was willing to use funds from a C$250 million ($245 million) Automotive Innovation Fund designed to develop more fuel-efficient vehicles.

"We need a third vehicle. I've already spoken with General Motors about that. ... If we can participate in funding that innovation, then we're certainly going to be there," Flaherty told reporters.
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