Unifor members end protest; production resumes at GM Oshawa

TORONTO — Unifor members on the day shift at General Motors’ Oshawa, Ont., assembly plant held a sit-down protest Wednesday morning around 8 a.m. ET, stopping production for about 90 minutes, according to a union spokeswoman.

Unifor spokeswoman Kathleen O’Keefe said at about 9:45 a.m. ET union members were preparing to return to work. She later said production had resumed. A spokesperson General Motors couldn't be reached.

The protest started just hours after workers staged a similar protest during Tuesday’safternoon shift — and then walked out of the plant en masse — following news that the automaker did not accept Unifor’s proposals to save the factory, the union said.

O’Keefe said workers began sitting at their stations Tuesday "around 5 p.m. ET and all the workers walked out together at 9:45 p.m. ET.” That's about an hour earlier than the scheduled end to the Tuesday shift. The automaker made the decision to send employees home early Tuesday as a result of the protest.

Videos and photos posted on Unifor’s Twitter page late Tuesday showed buzzers sounding and workers sitting at their stations, as the union claimed workers shut down the assembly line. 

“We understand our union’s frustration but need to now work together to deliver support, transsion and training for our employees for new opportunities over the coming year,” GM Canada spokeswoman Jennifer Wright told Automotive News Canada Wednesday morning.

Wright didn't know how much production was lost due to the pair of protests.

David Paterson, vice-president of corporate affairs at GM Canada, told The Canadian Press the union should instead work with the company on timing and transition plans for the approximately 3,000 workers who are losing their jobs.

GM said it has identified job opportunities, is willing to pay for retraining and is open to negotiations on packages for workers on top of what is already included in contracts.

It is not known how many vehicles that were supposed to be built were affected, and O’Keefe wasn’t sure how long the Wednesday sit-in would last.

The Oshawa plant builds the Chevrolet Impala and Cadillac XTS sedans on a one-shift line, and it completes final assembly on previous-generation Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup bodies on another line that operates on two shifts. GM said Tuesday it would continue with its plans to stop allocating product to the Oshawa plant beyond 2019, rejecting Unifor’s proposals to save the plant from closure.

Unifor President Jerry Dias said workers organized the sit-down because GM would not change course. Dias held a press conference in Windsor, Ont., on Tuesday following a meeting with GM executives in Detroit and said the automaker was acting out of “corporate greed.”

“Our members were watching the press conference, and when they listened to what we had to say, they didn’t go to work,” he said. “They’ve had enough. That was our workers saying to GM, ‘What’s wrong with you?’”

Dias said Tuesday night that he did not know how long the protest would continue.

“We’re just playing it by ear,” he said. “Our members are going to make up their own mind, and we’re going to support whatever actions they want to take. It’s not more complicated than that.”

In a statement issued after its meeting with Unifor, GM said several union proposals to save the plant were unworkable. “Economic factors created an imperative need to consolidate operations, reduce costs and improve cash flow,” the automaker said.

“Unfortunately, all Unifor’s proposals would involve substantial incremental costs and a further deterioration of GM’s competitive position,” a letter from GM to Unifor reads. “Having completed an analysis of Unifor’s proposals, GM has determined that it cannot pursue them because they would not combat the declining economic and market factors that must be addressed.”

GM’s plans for Oshawa are part of a larger restructuring designed to save the automaker $6 billion by the end of 2020. The automaker also plans to stop allocating production to assembly plants in Hamtramck, Mich., and Lordstown, Ohio. And GM said it will cut several car models from its North American lineup, including the Impala and XTS made in Oshawa, as the market continues to shift toward light trucks.

The sit-in was the first major action by Unifor members following the Tuesday meeting. During Unifor’s press conference, Dias called the union’s advertising campaign to pressure GM “a mere start as to what it is we are prepared to do to get General Motors’ attention.”

It also plans a mass rally in Windsor on Friday.