by Cory Weir GM Oshawa autoworker, Unifor Local 222 As we rolled into the town of Ingersoll on Friday night a familiar sight was noticeable from the highway: an otherwise quiet night sky filled with industrial light from a burgeoning automotive facility much like the one we had just finished our shifts at in Oshawa. Continue readingCAMI strike: An Oshawa autoworker’s view
Unifor
By Gerard Di Trolio and Doug Nesbitt The strike at the CAMI Automotive plant in Ingersoll, Ontario is of major importance to the labour movement. The 2,800 members of Unifor Local 88 have walked off the job in a battle for wages but crucially for job security. It’s the first GM strike in Canada since Continue readingCAMI strike can renew fight against NAFTA
by Chris White Retiree representative, Unifor Local 222 executive board For 8 months Unifor President Jerry Dias has refused to act to stop the unnecessary exploitation of GM retirees’ health care trust by retired Unifor staffers. In December of 2016 the Retired Workers Chapter and the GM Unit of Unifor Local 222 Oshawa moved a Continue readingJerry Dias ignores and disrespects GM retirees
By Daniel Tseghay Throughout the summer, Unifor members at hotels in downtown Vancouver and Victoria will be in bargaining. Members at Hotel Vancouver, the Coast Coal Harbour, the Residence Inn, and Victoria’s Hotel Grand Pacific are looking to benefit from some of the incredible profits these high-end hotels are making every year. Three of the Continue readingUnifor gearing up for bargaining at BC hotels
By David Bush and Gerard Di Trolio On March 27, CLC Investigator Barry Thorsteinson submitted an 11 page report to CLC President Hassan Yussuff on the ATU Local 113 crisis. His report notes that with the March 17 withdrawal of Bob Kinnear’s request for the CLC’s justification proceedings, the case ends with the filing of Continue readingContentious CLC report on ATU crisis falls short
By David Bush and Gerard Di Trolio On Wednesday of this week RankandFile.ca obtained a recording of a conversation between two executive board members at ATU Local 113, Tony Barbosa and John DiNino, occurring before the trusteeship. Both DiNino, who recorded the call, and Barbosa have confirmed the authenticity of the recording. In this conversation Continue reading“Who’s the big white shark?” A plot to raid the ATU?
By Daniel Tseghay On November 8, the Unifor National Executive Board voted to revoke the local union charters of a number of British Columbian staff representative locals. These previously Unifor locals were made up of members who worked at other unions. This consisted of members of Unifor who work for the British Columbia Nurses’ Union, Continue readingUnifor de-charters BC locals
By Ritch Whyman The narrow 55 percent acceptance of the new contract by Ford Canada employees, brought to end the third round of bargaining by the union representing autoworkers (UNIFOR) and GM, Chrysler and Ford. Despite the automakers making massive profits the pattern set by the union leadership, while containing small gains and bonuses, included many concessions Continue readingAutoworkers: Concessions and resistance
At half-past midnight on September 20th, the framework of a tentative agreement was reached between Unifor and General Motors that narrowly averted a strike. The Unifor Local 222 union hall in Oshawa erupted with cheers, then quickly fell silent as our mobilized strike teams waited with bated breath for more details. Our national president Jerry Continue readingWhy we should vote down the GM contract
Will there be a strike at General Motors in Canada? GM has made no guarantees of a product at the GM Oshawa assembly plant past 2017. Is the corporation planning on leaving Canada and putting thousands out of work? GM Oshawa workers speak up and speak out. They’re ready to fight. Make sure to follow Continue readingOshawa autoworkers: We’re ready to fight!
by Cory Weir GM Oshawa assembly line worker With the Big Three automakers at the bargaining table with Unifor, there has been no shortage of public attention given to workers in Oshawa’s GM car assembly plants. We’ve all seen the economics of what it would mean if GM Oshawa was closed: $5 billion lost from Continue readingGM Oshawa: the untold story of CEVA
By Sam Gindin and Herman Rosenfeld Ever since the sit-down strikes of the 1930s, the cycle of ‘Big Three’ auto bargaining has been a major economic and political event, an indicator of the progress of the class struggle in North America. If such interest has sagged of late, it charged back into the news with Continue readingBargaining Over Corporate Investment: Innovation or Trap?