September 12, 2019 – 12:00 AM

WINDSOR—Hundreds of members of the Windsor community and people from across Ontario assembled near the Nemak plant in solidarity with workers protesting the company’s decision to break the collective agreement by announcing their intention to close the plant.

“Canadians are fed up with greedy multinational corporations that don’t honour agreements with workers and move jobs outside of Canada,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Nemak is playing with fire and has ignited an entire community against them.”

The community rally was held adjacent to the Windsor Nemak plant that builds engine blocks and bedplates for General Motors.

“We are fighting for the rights of all Canadian workers with this community rally in Windsor,” said Naureen Rizvi, Unifor Ontario Regional Director. “Nemak must do the right thing and live up to its end of the agreement. It’s as simple as that.”

Unifor and Nemak renewed a collective agreement in 2016. In the agreement Nemak committed to make the Windsor plant the sole global source for certain engine block products produced for General Motors. Now the company intends to move the production to facilities in Monterrey, Mexico in contravention to the agreement.

On September 10 Justice Terrance Patterson of the Superior Court of Ontario urged all parties to resolve the dispute before the parties have to return to court on Friday September 13.

Unifor continues to engage in dialogue with Nemak corporate representatives urging them to do the right thing and live up to their contractual obligations to the workers and the community.