OSHAWA -- General Motors and CAW union representatives will be working to follow Ford Canada's lead and hopefully reach a contract deal, starting Thursday morning. "Because of our declining auto industry we have decided it makes sense to enter into early bargaining to try to negotiate a new three-year collective agreement before things get much worse in the auto industry," said Chris Buckley, Canadian Auto Workers Local 222 president.
The meeting will be in Toronto and Mr. Buckley said they are starting with the intent to get GM to follow the pattern Ford has set, but also commit to investment for the Oshawa location "so our members have a future."
Mr. Buckley said that after Ford's quick deal he is cautiously optimistic going into negotiations, but in the end it will be up to GM.
He wouldn't say directly whether the union was looking toward concessions as a bargaining tactic.
"We are in the most difficult times in our history within the auto industry," Mr. Buckley said. "We have done some non-traditional things to save the corporations some money, but I believe all in all we can reach a fair collective agreement that doesn't disadvantage our members and helps the companies remain competitive in a very competitive environment."
Bing Campney, a former union representative for the General Motors truck plant, said giving concessions would be going down the wrong road. Now retired, Mr. Campney sat through many negotiations with GM during his 20 years as a union rep.
"We all know the company wants concessions; what their demands will be is anyone's guess," Mr. Campney said. "We have to be strong and united, roll the dice, see what happens."
The company can close the plant regardless of whether concessions are given, so the union should fight hard to keep the benefits they have now, he said.
Mr. Buckley said it is his intention to fight for the union's membership, past and present.
"We're going to do everything humanly possible to protect not only our active members but our retirees and we will not allow General Motors to dig deep into anyone's pockets," he said.
At the end of April GM announced that effective September 2008, the company would be cutting a shift at the Oshawa truck plant that produces the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra. Between 900 and 1,000 jobs will be lost due to the elimination of the second shift and the truck plant will operate on one shift come the fall.
Getting production into the Oshawa plants is the most important thing as bargaining begins, Mr. Buckley said.
"Without future product allocation our members don't have a future, so we need to secure that," he said.
-- with files from Kim Downey