GM, CAW reach tentative deal

OSHAWA - The tentative agreement reached May 15 between General Motors and the Canadian Auto Workers could save about 4,000 jobs in the Oshawa truck and car plant, says the CAW union president.

"Oshawa comes out of this overall with a great victory," Buzz Hargrove said.

As part of the tentative deal the truck plant shift that was scheduled to be cut this September will now be extended until at least September 2009. In return, workers at the plant would work rotating shifts — one week on, one week off.

The change will save about 1,000 jobs and allow both shifts to continue operating, allowing the company to gauge the demand for the Silverado and Sierra hybrids, which will be produced out of that plant, Mr. Hargrove said.

"We have a commitment for the next generation of trucks to come in at the truck plant, which will hopefully bring it back to three shifts at some point," Mr. Hargrove said. "Very critical bargaining, very successful bargaining on behalf of Oshawa."

The union has been guaranteed more product on the same platform at the flexible manufacturing plant now under construction, Mr. Hargrove said. What product the plant will make has not been identified, but will be introduced sometime during the life of the new contract, if it's ratified by CAW membership. Only the Camaro and Camaro convertible are now slated to be built in the facility.

The Impala was originally supposed to close out in 2010, but has been extended until 2012. That will save 3,000 jobs, Mr. Hargrove said.

To reach a deal with GM, the union agreed to give up a week's vacation for its workers. Each employee, though, will be given a one-time payment of $3,500, which adds up to about three weeks of vacation, Mr. Hargrove said.

Mr. Hargrove said most health care benefits improved, but there were caps put on some.

The Oshawa plant has a higher productivity rating than its sister U.S. plants, which gave the CAW leverage during the talks, Mr. Hargrove said.

The agreement received the unanimous support of the CAW-GM master bargaining committee.

Talks started between GM and the union on May 8. On Monday CAW Local 222 president Chris Buckley said talks would continue until Wednesday to try to reach an agreement. Negotiations went on into the evening on Wednesday and continued Thursday morning.

The CAW represents about 13,000 Canadian GM workers in Oshawa, Windsor, St. Catharines and Woodstock.

Ford voted 67 per cent in favour of a similar deal earlier this month, lower than the usual standard of 90 per cent, Mr. Hargrove said.

The ratification vote for General Motors in Oshawa is on Friday at 3 p.m. Results should be known by 10 p.m. Friday, he said.

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