Jan 06, 2010 - 04:22 PM

By Melissa Mancini

OSHAWA -- It sounds like a dream: all laid off-unionized General Motors workers back on the line by 2011.

But Canadian Auto Workers Local 222 president Chris Buckley said he expects all of GM's 1,200 unionized employees that have lay-off status will be back in the plant as early as next year.

The jobs will come as a result of the product commitments GM gave the union in May 2008 during a round of bargaining, Mr. Buckley said. The commitments include the Buick Regal in 2011 and another vehicle at the end of 2011, he said.

"The Buick will require an additional shift which will help recall (600) or 700 of our laid-off members," he said. "Once the second vehicle in 2011, which I believe is a Cadillac, is introduced that will help recall the remainder of our laid-off members."

GM officials won't say what products it plans on building in the Oshawa plant after the Regal, except that it will produce two additional models in the city. The company also will not comment on what the start dates on future products would be.

"We have not made any announcement beyond Regal and the commitment of the two vehicles," GM spokeswoman Adria MacKenzie said.

But Mr. Buckley said after the Cadillac, the company has made a commitment to replace the Chevrolet Impala, which is produced on the company's local car line. Mr. Buckley said the replacement of the Impala is slated to happen in 2013 and the car would create "a very, very real possibility" GM would have to hire more workers after all of his members are recalled.

Ms. MacKenzie said there isn't a guarantee the production of the Regal will mean a second shift on the flexible manufacturing line. The line, slated to produce the Regal, also produces the Camaro. But the number of shifts needed to produce the two cars will depend on market demand, she said.

"The beauty of it is it's the flexible manufacturing line, so you could build a Camaro on it and have a Regal immediately following," she said.

Mr. Buckley said he doesn't believe they could keep up with demand for both the Camaro and the Regal on one shift.

"They'll have to, they'll have to add a shift," he said.

"I also have a commitment in writing that, for whatever reason, if they decide not to build one of those vehicles, they must give us a replacement vehicle with the same related volume numbers."

According to a statement from the company, GM's 2009 production in Canada was approximately 400,000 units with 250,000 of those in Oshawa.

"We fully expect GM's production volume in Canada to increase going forward," the statement said.