Following a court ruling last Friday, the CAW has ended its blockade of General Motors’ Oshawa, Ontario headquarters. The blockade began nearly two weeks ago after GM announced that it would be closing its Oshawa truck plant but the Ontario Superior Court ruled that the blockade was illegal.
Despite the ruling, the CAW says that it is not finished with its protest. “This fight is far from over,” Chris Buckley, president of CAW Local 222 in Oshawa, told Automotive News. “The blockade has been taken down, as per the judge’s orders that were put in place, but just stay tuned.”
However, the ruling judge did not completely side with GM, stating that the auto giant acted with “almost deceitful behavior.” GM recently inked a contract with the CAW guaranteeing that the Oshawa plant would remain open until at least 2011. Citing that broken promise, the judge allowed the blockade to continue through the weekend.
The blockade lasted 13 days and prevented about 900 GM employees from reporting to work.
06/16, 11:49 AM
posted by:
mayer_ray_nagin
The court should have disbanded the CAW entirely.
06/16, 11:58 AM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
So what do these guys plan on doing next- hostages? I’m not defending GM, but these veiled threats are pointless. They only serve to highlight the union’s ignorance.
06/16, 12:00 PM
posted by:
xyunya
Well it takes 2 to tango. CAW management and GM management prime examples of assholes. It is sad that shareholders as well as workers can’t get rid of either.
06/16, 12:04 PM
posted by:
Fletch
Does this mean that the CAW local 222 is going to start driving Toyotas?
06/16, 12:28 PM
posted by:
injunraiv
My guess? Half of them already do…
06/16, 3:57 PM
posted by:
driven
Maybe CAW shouldn’t have held GMs feet to the fire when GM needed them. CAW tried to get blood from a stone. They succeeded in getting what they asked for until the climate change… gas prices rose and now GM doesn’t need that plant or the CAW.
Had the CAW been less greedy GM may have turned that plant into something other than a truck facility. But the cost of conversion and the cost of those CAW employees was just too much.
Lets hope the UAW learns from the CAW mistakes so GM can afford to build more cars in the US. CAWs mistakes could be the UAWs gain if the UAW doesn’t get greedy. Small, high mileage vehicles will need to be produced somewhere.
06/16, 5:32 PM
posted by:
DeansterTJ
**** the Union. They’re all destined to die of AIDS.
06/16, 6:59 PM
posted by:
sharpie
^^^ Oh mine!!! That is not necessary, Deanster.
06/16, 7:32 PM
posted by:
400horseSS
Well TugJob if you want that to happen just have your sister park at the CAW hall for a friday freak-fest.