Topic: GM closing Oshawa truck plant

[tpl]

Were there made in Canada alternatives to buy ?    Quite probably not at Walmart.

[Trainman]

Interesting little tidbit from BC this morning.  The Steelworkers, who represent the forest workers now, were approached about deferring their 3% wage increase due July 1 to try and help the industry.  They declined, saying that would not help sell more lumber.  They also wanted assurances that if they did defer the increase, there would be no layoffs.

I think that this is another example of a union out of touch with the realities of the business their members are employed in.

[initial_D]

I was in the the new mega Walmart in Oshawa (Just a short drive from the Park Road autoplex) and there where probably a dozen people in the store shopping with those "made in Canada matters shirts" that the CAW has doled out. It was interesting to see what was in their carts. Lots of Made in China, India, not in Canada goods. What irony. Preaching to Canadians to buy Canadian and save local jobs when they don't. Welcome to globalization.

A TV crew shoulda been there and film it, ask them if they know what those words mean. And ask the 5th graders the same question.

[prufrock]

Where were the shirts made? Likely not in Canada, despite the label. Reminds me of the plant in China making the Tibetan flags for the protesters...

[barrie1]

Walmart is China's biggest single trading partner I have heard and their head office is there I believe now as well. I suspect the majority of their goods are made there as well. At least New York State has it right in the US as they don't allow them in at all. I think its criminal the way they push the peasent insurance polices on their staff who benefit 0000 when they die from overwork and stress caused by the High End Management. They the Walton family are the only ones to benefit from these Insurance scams as the surviving families never see a dime at all. 

[rrocket]

At least New York State has it right in the US as they don't allow them in at all.

I just counted.  There are 56 Walmarts in the state of NY........

http://www.priceviewer.com/walmart_locations/NY.html

[initial_D]

Over 100 Engineers and technician at the Oshawa head office have been layoff, probably more to come.

[tpl]

At least New York State has it right in the US as they don't allow them in at all.

I just counted.  There are 56 Walmarts in the state of NY........

http://www.priceviewer.com/walmart_locations/NY.html

The list shows none in New York city   I wonder if thats what Barrie meant.

[tenpenny]

Walmart is China's biggest single trading partner I have heard and their head office is there I believe now as well. I suspect the majority of their goods are made there as well.

Walmart's head office is in the US.  They do have a  big purchasing office in China, though.

If I recall the statistics, 35% or so of Canadian Tire's stuff comes from China, and they're planning to increase that to well over 50% as well.

[Trainman]

Canfor has just announced the closing of its sawmill in Mackenzie, BC.  This brings the total out of work forestry workers in Mackenzie to 1,200.  For a town with a population of 4,500, this is a huge, maybe unrecoverable, number.  Province wide, the number of forestry workers who have lost their jobs is now estimated at 13,000.

So its not just eastern manufacturing that is being hit hard in these times, its across the country, in all sorts of fields.

Wonder when the Western building boom bubble will burst?  I hate to think what post 2010 will look like here in BC   

[inco]

Another industry that's hurting. Are they too going to be screaming to the government that they have to step in and save these jobs? Here in Ontario the CAW blames the government for lack of support and expects that they should do something.

Notice to all Unions: Pricing yourself out of the market to make your product too expensive is not a good idea. Yes it's nice that you were highly paid - but notice that tense. Are is out and so might you be..

I'm not saying all unions have done this, but I see a heck of a storm brewing across the country as many contracts come up. Here we have PS teachers in Ontario looking for more and boards that are underfunded to meet these added expectations. I don't have a good feeling about the next couple of years as we sort this all out.

I'm going to my room now - turn on the HNIC song honey!

[safristi]

  the Nationale again DEAR .....

[Wetson]

Head office in China?? Uhmmm NO.

702 SW 8th Street
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Bentonville, Arkansas 72716-8611

Also .... employees of Wal-Mart have the choice if they want to work there or not.  No one is stopping them from going and getting a better job with benefits and insurance....  The F*&king sense of entitlement some people have grinds my gears.

[rrocket]

The list shows none in New York city   I wonder if thats what Barrie meant.

Well he did say NY State.  And is it any surprise there might not be one in NY City?  Geez...for the size of the lot required to build a Walmart in NY City the cost would be incredible...

[carburator]

Good bye Hummers! Thank's for closing the plant. Those vehicles built at that plant were obsene. Bumpers so high they reached your shoulders, horrible gas guzzlers that polluted the air, soo big that they took up 1 and a half parking spots....GOOD riddens!

[Ex-airbalancer]

Good bye Hummers! Thank's for closing the plant. Those vehicles built at that plant were obsene. Bumpers so high they reached your shoulders, horrible gas guzzlers that polluted the air, soo big that they took up 1 and a half parking spots....GOOD riddens!

The is not built at the Oshawa truck plant
It was just ext cabs and 4 door pick ups the last time I was there

[tpl]

Answer to different questions.

Barrie said  " At least New York State has it right in the US as they don't allow them in at all"

he was not correct :-

Rrocket said   "There are 56 Walmarts in the state of NY.."

So I wondered if Barrie actually meant NYC not NY state.


A Wallymart in Manhattan would be somewhat out of place unless they have finished with Central park and want to use it for something else.

[safristi]

they could build anuffer SKY_RAPER .....73rd Floor Chinese Tsotchkes...

[initial_D]

The Canadian Auto Workers union has been ordered by a judge to end its blockade of General Motors Corp.'s Canadian headquarters in Oshawa, Ont., by Monday morning.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=5b11790c-450c-4302-89df-a330e45dde57

...

Now what? Stop making trucks?

[pianoman8849]

Yes, I'm disturbed by the loss of jobs this will cause, but, as other people have said...GM knew this was coming.

Hey!! You have to start living in the 21st century. Gas guzzling trucks and SUV's are on the way out and alternative vehicles such as hybrids is the technology of today. So, stop the trucks but don't scrap the jobs...teach them how to build hybrids and GM, start bringing out more of them and better choices too.

Right now, trying to buy a hybrid has a longer waiting list than many of our hospitals.......