CAW Reaches Close out Settlement with GM for Oshawa Truck Plant
The CAW has reached a settlement with General Motors covering the closure of the Oshawa truck plant, scheduled for July 1, 2009.
Two membership meetings are scheduled for today to review the settlement – at 11 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. The settlement is a resolution to the grievance filed by the union following the June 3 closure announcement, which came only two weeks after signing the collective agreement.
The morning following the closure announcement, CAW Local 222 members moved quickly to blockade GM’s Canadian headquarters in an effort to demonstrate the closure’s severe impact on workers and the frustration many were feeling about the sudden about-face by General Motors.
“The pressure we put on the company through our nearly two-week long blockade made GM understand just how serious we are about looking out for the best interests of our members,“ said Chris Buckley, president of CAW Local 222.
Included in the settlement are new product commitments for the adjacent car plant, which will partially offset the job loss from the truck plant closure. There will also be retirement incentives, a retirement grow-in and a buyout program for those who will permanently leave the company.
The alternating two shift operation will cease on December 21, 2008 with the truck plant operating on one shift as of January 2009. General Motors has agreed that the facility will not be demolished during the life of the agreement.
The 2,600 workers at the Oshawa GM truck plant are represented by CAW Local 222.
The average age of the workforce is approximately 50-51 years old with an average seniority of approximately 22 years.
June 28
