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GM to close Windsor, Ontario transmission plant; rattles contract talks with CAW

05/12/2008, 3:30 PM

By Drew Johnson

General Motors announced on Monday that it will be closing its Windsor, Ontario transmission plant in the second quarter of 2010. The announcement comes just four months before the CAW’s national contract with GM expires, making negotiations all that much more difficult.

GM says the reason for the closure of the plant is because there are no future products planned for that facility. “There is no product available for the plant, and that’s why the decision was made,” GM Canada spokesman Stew Low told Automotive News. “When that was apparent to the union, it was decided to make the announcement to employees as soon as possible.”

Despite the explanation, the CAW is not happy with the announcement. “I’m frustrated and angry, and I can’t believe we have got ourselves in this position,” CAW president Buzz Hargrove said.

Since the announcement, the CAW has set a 6 pm Wednesday deadline for GM to make progress on “master issues” or contract negotiations could be suspended until September.

The Windsor plant — which employs 1,400 workers — produces four-speed transmissions for the Pontiac G5 and G6, the Chevrolet Cobalt, Malibu and HHR, and the Saturn Aura and Vue at the rate of about 3,300 units per day. However, GM will be switching to more efficient six-speed transmissions in the coming years, rendering the Ontario facility obsolete.

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05/12, 3:37 PM

posted by:

cookie4me

They have watched multiple plant closings happen in the states in the past few years and don’t believe they are “untouchable”?

05/12, 3:48 PM

posted by:

Z06ified

So now the CAW is mad, and they’re issuing “deadlines”? When are they going to wake up and realize the union has been losing the war for decades. Plant after plant have been closing – the union blames management, but I think the union needs to look in the mirror for the problem. Management closes plants that are inefficient, have costly workers who strike all the time, and are run by extortionist unions. It’s not like the company doesn’t have better options elsewhere. GM doesn’t NEED to produce transmissions in Canada. They can produce them at plants without unions, where the workers are happy to have a job, cooperative, and productive.

05/12, 3:56 PM

posted by:

golf4me

Well said, Z06.

05/12, 4:27 PM

posted by:

DialM4Speed

Hell Yeah! Down with unions and there evil ways!!! If they are unwilling to blindly bow down and kiss the boots of management then they should be fired!! HaHaHa!!! If they don’t praise and support management when it’s executives receive huge pay and bonuses, EVEN when the company is going down the tubes the plants should be closed!! MINIMUM WAGE FOR ALL!!!…. except management.

05/12, 4:40 PM

posted by:

Z06ified

If you don’t like it, go work elsewhere. Nothing is forcing you to work for GM.

05/12, 4:55 PM

posted by:

DeansterTJ

Tough life. Tough times ahead. In a rare break from my usual position, I feel for these unionites in a way. I hope they find some other way to bring home some $$$.

05/12, 5:06 PM

posted by:

xyunya

I bet you’ll that members of that CAW are dreaming of Toyota plant to open in the neighborhood.

05/12, 5:30 PM

posted by:

C6Racer

Even though all those people will be out of a job it was a smart decision for GM. That’s business, sorry.

05/12, 6:32 PM

posted by:

johnnycanuck

They’re giving them all 2 years notice for gawds sake. That’s more than fair.

05/12, 8:27 PM

posted by:

Bimmer

Two years is more then enough to upgrade your education and to find a job even in a new field. And if they don’t want to re-train then welcome to the real world where other factory workers are happy to make $16/hr and are willing to work.

05/12, 10:46 PM

posted by:

inspire

The writing’s been on the wall at that Windsor plant for quite some time. Who builds 4-speed trannies in this day and age??? (except in gas thirsty SUVs / old pick-up trucks)

Despite making decent quality products, GM simply does not want to upgrade the tooling for this facility. (ie Doesn’t want to deal with union … build it in Mexico or part of the US to thank UAW for concessions + punish CAW).

Windsor has been hurt badly by this downturn in the economy … this is going to make things worse. When is the Canadian gov’t going to get involved to reverse the bleeding in manufacturing jobs in Canada?

05/12, 11:08 PM

posted by:

400horseSS

Mutha ****in right Z06 And Golf4me lick ass and suck the bosses balls to move up in the world like you two, and to the other dumbass who said go to school, you ****ing tell me what jobs are out there when everything is leaving obviously, let me know because GM wants to give me $145,000 to leave…………

05/13, 12:29 AM

posted by:

AxeHead

It’s just a union killing strategy…and I don’t blame them. Unions are inherently inneficient and bloated…Canada is the most expensive place to manufacture considering the dollar…you could see this comming for a long time.

05/13, 9:14 AM

posted by:

HemiRoadRunner

3,300 transmissions a day doesn’t sound inefficient to me. Who here has ever even rebuilt an automatic? I’d like to see all the people in here even try to put a shift kit in their cars. I don’t really care for these union workers either, but if you like corporate nutsack, then that’s your problem.

05/13, 9:15 AM

posted by:

HemiRoadRunner

Well, I didn’t mean the union workers, I meant I don’t care for the union management, there, how’s that?

05/13, 9:33 AM

posted by:

lucklaster

Union management has been digging the graves for their underlings for years under the preposterous guise that they are working for the little guy. Bull**** – they are working for politicians and power. This is not at all a new thing. But the members keep voting them in and getting screwed in the end. If you owned a business or was a share holder would you want a thug from the street telling you how you were going to run your employees and what rules you were going to operate by? Yeah, I wouldn’t either

05/13, 11:07 AM

posted by:

DialM4Speed

If you paid them DECENT WAGES and were FAIR about your business practises you wouldn’t need a union.. BUT as we’ve all seen (well all of us that aren’t under the desk with a set of knee pads and a box of chap stick) business never plays fair. It’s alway FASTER! FASTER! CHEAPER! CHEAPER!…… unless your management.

05/13, 1:14 PM

posted by:

HemiRoadRunner

^^^^ Yeah, he’s right. The union management has screwed the idea of unions up though.

05/13, 6:21 PM

posted by:

Bimmer

400horse Nazi,
shut da **** up, douchebag and go get education!

05/13, 7:27 PM

posted by:

Commodore

This is good news. Not for the people that lost their jobs of course, but it does mean that 4 speed trannys are finally out for good

05/13, 8:02 PM

posted by:

Get Real

Slam your CAW/UAW shoe on the desk and scream: “we will bury you”.

05/14, 1:32 PM

posted by:

400horseSS

Ooooooh Bimmer that was hardcore, im right you suck, I’ll continue to make 60-70k on the line while you purchase kneepads and chapstick by the case.

 
 
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