Union protests could get "a little illegal"

OSHAWA -- Chris Buckley and his team returned from Detroit to a hero's welcome Friday afternoon, despite bringing back bad news.

Members of Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union Local 222 thronged their president and chanted his name as he pulled up in front of General Motors headquarters in a made-in-Oshawa truck

NDP leader Jack Layton was also there to greet him.

"On behalf of the lot of you, we reminded them of the terrible decision they have made," Mr. Buckley said, describing the meeting he and his fellow union leaders had with General Motors officials in Detroit early Friday morning. "Our trucks are going to Mexico and that's a God-damn disgrace," Mr. Buckley shouted.

The Local 222 president addressed hundreds of CAW members gathered outside GM headquarters for a third day of protests against this week's announcement that the company will close Oshawa's truck plant in 2009.

The CAW contingent had gone to Detroit to convince the company to reverse its decision or even suspend it so talks could take place. The answer from GM was a flat-out no.

The decision to close the plant will mean about 2,600 workers will lose their jobs.

The question on the minds of many union members is what comes now -- especially as rumours of a wildcat strike circulated in the plants.

Mr. Buckley said phase two of the fight is in the works but refused to be more specific.

An announcement was expected sometime Saturday morning after This Week's deadline.

The Local 222 president said his members have a collective agreement at this time, which would make a strike illegal. However, he also said he isn't ruling anything out.

Keith Osborne, GM plant chairman for Local 222, was a little more candid.

"I'm not going to advocate a work stoppage but I'll tell you what, if it happens I'm behind you 110 per cent," he said, adding later, "we've done all the legal stuff but sometimes you have to get a little illegal to get stuff done."

Local 222 members started gathering near GM headquarters at 4 a.m. on Wednesday, creating a barricade across the street to prevent GM workers from reaching their office. Only employees of the nearby Minacs office were allowed through.

GM corporate employees have been working from home ever since and the protest has now taken up residence outside the headquarters building.

"They want their building back and they're not getting their building back," Mr. Buckley said. He said the protest will continue indefinitely, encouraging union members to keep numbers up this weekend and bring out their friends and neighbours.

NDP MP Peggy Nash said the fight should go beyond that, extending to the entire country.

"If we cannot defend the best of manufacturing jobs, what about all the other manufacturing jobs?" she asked. "Your struggle is a struggle on behalf of Canada."

The protest started Wednesday as a sombre gathering but has slowly been gathering intensity and was as hot as the 38-degree weather by Friday afternoon.

Participants screamed "shame!" and "traitor!" as speakers at the podium mentioned local Conservative MPs Jim Flaherty and Colin Carrie, and screamed their approval when Mr. Osborne suggested Mr. Carrie "take your old Honda Civic and get the hell out of town."

Neither local MP has visited the protest site.

Stay with www.newsdurhamregion.com this weekend for updates.