GM workers blockade
After receiving word of the coming cuts, workers blockaded GM's Oshawa headquarters on Wednesday. Protesters remained at the location on Friday morning.
Hargrove said on Thursday that workers are prepared for a full blown strike if GM doesn't reverse the decision to close the plant.
HA H AH HA HA HA
GM- We can't sell all these trucks you are producing so we have too much inventory . We need to close this plant down but we'll give you a year to close things up even though we really don't need the trucks. The sooner we close it the better really but we'll give it a year.
Buzz- NO WAY. You can't close the plant. We'll go on strike and no trucks will be produced starting tomorrow.
GM- Uhh Great Buzz so we can shout down producction starting tomorrow instead of waiting until next year? THANKS!
Newsflash Buzz. When a company wants to cut production the threat of cutting production (via stirke) does not exactly inspire fear.
It is sad these people lost their jobs for the indivuiduals. I've lost jobs to downsizing before too. I went and found another job. I've never once heard Buzz say "OK you are moving jobs to Mexico what would we have to do to compete with Mexico" Probaly becuase he knows the answer. Produce the vehicles at less than half the labour cost. Its not even like they need to match Mexico $ ofr $. The Candian plant has proven high quality so less defects meaning lower return/warranty costs. So although it might cost $20 K to produce a truck in canada the warranty cost may be only 1 K instead of 2k long term for a Mexico truck meaning the reral cost of the Can truck is only 19K compoared to Mexico truck. There are likley also some production efficiencies from the experienced workforce. So although the wage gap may be $15 the cost gap may actually be $10. So maybe wokers don't need to take a $15 paycut to compete with Mexico maybe only $10 but I'll bet that's never even been discussed. CAW talks about wage FREEZES as a concession when the gap is so huge that only a massive cut would bring parity. Unions don't accept wage cuts.
Think about it like this:
Billy cuts your Lawn every summer. He's been doing it for 5 years. He's really good at it. Does a nice job pretty fast. % years ago you cave him $10. Becuase he's your bosse's kidd you give him $1 increase every year. He's up to $15 an hour. He's not your bosses kid anymore. Joey says Hey I'll mow your lawn starting next month for $5 an hour. Now Joey might not be as perfect or as fast (becuase he hasn't cut your lawn before) but hey its mowing a lawn not rocket science right its not a highly educated or sklilled job.
Billy gets mad and says the best I can do is agree not to ask to be bumped up to $16 an hour next summer. If not I'm going on strike and not mowing your lawn this month.
So what are you gonna do? Billy won't even take a cut to $10 an hour whilly Joey will still take $5. You say fine Billy see ya. Get Joey in to start at $5 an hour right away. Even if Joey takes TWICE as long becuase he's not expereinced. Even if Joey has to go over some sports twice becuase he's not as perfect as Billy he's still costing at least $5 less for the same end result.
The only thing I can see here that GM maybe should do is that IF (and only if) they agreed to operate the plant for 3 years in return for a wage freeze that they lift that wage freeze and close the plant in a year as planned. Any concessions that were tied to keeping the plant open should be returned. Not that iot will do the workers any good since they can't get a raise if the plant is closed but hey fair is fair right.