WOODSTOCK, ON, Sept. 17, 2017 /CNW/ - Members of Unifor Local 88 at CAMI Automotive in Ingersoll have taken strike action after the company failed to address a key job security issue for members of the local.
"These workers are standing up for good jobs. Not just for themselves, but for the entire community," Unifor National President Jerry Dias said.
A central priority for the union is a commitment from the company to designating the CAMI plant as the lead producer of the Equinox. The strike began at 10:59pm in pursuit of this goal. The CAMI plant has been a provider of good jobs in Ingersoll and surrounding community for many years.
In July of this year, the company ceased production of the Terrain in Ingersoll, and 100 per cent of the volume was moved to Mexico, resulting in 600 layoffs. The plant now only produces the Equinox. This vehicle is also manufactured in Mexico.
"Every member understands the importance of reaching a deal that secures production, and what that means to our families and the community," said Mike Van Boekel, Local 88 Chair at the CAMI plant.
"The membership showed incredibly strong support for their bargaining committee throughout these negotiations."
Local 88 members at CAMI voted 99.8 per cent on August 27 to give their bargaining committee a strike mandate.
The plant, which began as a joint venture between General Motors and Suzuki in the late 1980s is now wholly owned by GM. The previous contract expired Sunday.
Unifor Local 88 hosted a town hall on trade and NAFTA in July, where workers and community members discussed the need to refocus Canada's trade agenda on the needs of workers, not corporations. A focus of that townhall was the move of the Terrain to Mexico, and how that showed that NAFTA is not a good deal for workers. To see more about Unifor's position on NAFTA, go to unifor.org/NAFTA.
Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing more than 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
SOURCE Unifor
please contact Unifor Communications National Representative Stuart Laidlaw at [email protected] or (cell) 647-385-4054.
Share this article