“Company Town, an independent documentary about the fight to save the General Motors assembly plant and thousands of jobs, will air on CBC television Saturday October 10, 2020 at 8 p.m. eastern time.

“When film makers requested behind the scenes access to the biggest fight our union has ever undertaken, we agreed that this story needed to be told,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Do we like how this story ended? Not one bit.”

On Nov. 26, 2018, General Motors made the surprise announcement to “unallocate” product at its Oshawa, Ontario plant, and move Canadian jobs to Mexico.

The film “features heart-wrenching personal stories” of Unifor members and “takes the audience on a rollercoaster ride of emotions as the clock ticks down to the closure of the plant,” according to the film’s website.

It highlights one of three television commercials the union produced in a multi-media advertising buy that reached 22 million Canadians.

Film makers were in Oshawa on February. 14, 2019 when Grammy award winning artist Sting and the cast of his musical The Last Ship performed in solidarity with Unifor members.

In May 2019, Unifor held a joint news conference with GM to announce the footprint would be maintained in Oshawa, saving hundreds of jobs. The plant transitioned to parts manufacturing operations, producing service parts such as doors, hoods, fenders, tailgates, and deck lids, and more recently medical masks for Health Canada to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Unifor believes there are new business opportunities for GM to expand work to include past-model parts and production for other automotive industry customers and will never give up pushing for full auto assembly again in Oshawa.

Company Town airs at 8 p.m. on Oct 10, 2020 on CBC Television.

October 8, 2020

TORONTO—The federal and provincial announcement today of a total of $590 million in support of battery electric vehicle (BEV) production in Oakville is welcome news to thousands of Unifor members working at Ford Motor Company.

“Today is an historic day. Today is about a vision…It’s about saying to young people that we have a plan for jobs not just for today, but more importantly for tomorrow,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President, speaking at a news conference at Ford’s Connectivity and Innovation Centre in Ottawa, streamed live on Unifor’s Facebook page.

“This level of co-operation and support for the auto industry’s transition to zero emission vehicles shows that as a nation we are taking a global leadership role in the development and manufacturing of battery electric vehicles and I commend the Prime Minister and Premier Ford for the leadership they have shown today,” said Dias.

In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada must be a global leader in zero emission manufacturing, and announced these funding commitments to help retool the Oakville Assembly Complex to produce BEVs and build charging stations across the country.

“This is a big day for the Canadian auto sector. Today’s announcement clearly shows how much we can accomplish when we collaborate and innovate,” said Dias, who was also relieved to learn that the federal and Ontario government commit to working with the union and other automakers to support and attract future “large scale” investments in zero-emissions technologies.

In Oakville, Premier Doug Ford told autoworkers “we will always have your back,” as he announced

Ontario’s $295 million investment to secure thousands of jobs across Ford’s production workforce in Canada. Unifor representatives accompanied the premier at Ford’s Oakville Assembly Complex during the virtual news conference with the Prime Minister.

On September 28, 2020 Unifor members ratified a new collective agreement that includes $1.8 billion to retool the Oakville plant and $148 million for Windsor powertrain facilities. Ford has committed to source new 6.XL engines to the Windsor Engine Plant and sole source 5.0L engine assembly and current component machining to the Essex Engine plant, along with any derivatives.

Unifor represents 6,300 workers at Ford Motor Company, 9,000 at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and 4,100 at General Motors. A digital media kit be found on this website and a downloadable version of today’s news conference is available to media upon request.

Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

October 7, 2020

TORONTO—A panel of judges of the Ontario Divisional Court has set aside a November 2019 arbitrator’s decision that allowed the closure of Nemak’s Windsor plant. The arbitrator cleared the way for the transfer of specialized General Motors work to Mexico causing the loss of approximately 200 jobs.

“Today is a great day for our members at Nemak who spent months waiting patiently for the court to rule on the future of their jobs at the Windsor Aluminum Plant,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “This is precisely the outcome our union and our members were fighting for and the ruling could not be any more clear—when you have a collective agreement with workers you have to live up to its terms.”

In late November 2019, arbitrator Norm Jesin ruled against Unifor’s grievance and awarded that Nemak’s plant closure could proceed despite strong job security language in the collective agreement. Nemak and Unifor agreed in 2015 that new work for General Motors would be placed in the Windsor plant and that Windsor would be the “sole source” for that work.

The union immediately launched a judicial review of the arbitrator’s decision which was heard before the Divisional Court in Toronto in February 2020.

In a decision issued on October 6, 2020, the Divisional Court quashed the arbitrator’s decision. In strongly worded reasons, Justice D.L. Corbett accepted Unifor’s argument that it had a contractual commitment that the work must be done in Windsor if it is to be done by Nemak anywhere. The Court found that the arbitrator misused evidence about the 2015 negotiation to get a different and unreasonable result.

“This decision affirms that Nemak is not above the terms of the collective agreement,” said John D’Agnolo, Unifor Local 200 President. “Our members showed incredible resilience, courage, and tenacity throughout this dispute and we are now one step closer to a resolution.”

Yesterday’s ruling sends the union’s grievance back to the arbitrator for a new decision in accordance with the court’s reasons. The full decision can be viewed here.

Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

Information Bulletin Telco Locals Ontario

 

TORONTO—Unifor members working at Ford Motor Company voted 81% in favour of new three year collective agreements that include $1.95 billion in investments to bring battery electric vehicle (BEV) production to Oakville and a new engine derivative to Windsor, along with other significant gains.

“This is the single biggest investment in the Canadian auto industry in years providing long-term job security for Unifor members,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “The vote result not only demonstrates our members’ overwhelming support for their bargaining committees and their new collective agreement, but also shows Unifor members have a clear vision of a strong and prosperous Canadian auto sector.”

Highlights of the deal include $1.8 billion to retool and build new battery electric vehicles in Oakville, including a crossover utility vehicle (CUV), and $148 million for Windsor powertrain facilities. Ford has committed to source new 6.X L engines to the Windsor Engine Plant and sole source 5.0L engine assembly and current component machining to the Essex Engine plant, along with any derivatives.

“This agreement is perfect timing and positions our members at the forefront of the electric vehicle transformation, as the Oakville plant will be a key BEV supplier to the North American and European Union markets,” said Dias.

The union also negotiated a five per cent wage increase over the life of the agreement, along with a four per cent lump sum, a productivity and quality bonus of $7,250, inflation protection bonuses and major changes to the New Hire Program, including an 8-year wage grid, and re-instatement of afternoon and midnight shift premiums.

A 20 per cent wage differential has also been re-instated for skilled trades workers and many improvements to benefits have been negotiated along with paid domestic violence leave and a racial justice advocate.

“We went into bargaining with two major priorities, to secure new product allocation and make progress on wages and working conditions for our members, and I think it’s safe to say we hit a home run on both fronts,” said John D’Agnolo, Chair of the Master Bargaining Committee.  “We want to thank the bargaining team, our local leadership, and the members who showed unwavering solidarity through some very intense weeks of bargaining.”

Talks with Fiat Chrysler begin later this week. A digital media kit can be found on this website.

Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.