Quality Award a Vote of Confidence for GM Oshawa Plant, says Unifor President

OSHAWA, ON, Oct. 2, 2013 /CNW/ - Unifor members at General Motors' Assembly Complex (Consolidated Line) in Oshawa have earned top marks for turning out some of the highest quality products in North America, according to leading auto marketing and research firm J.D. Power.

Unifor National President Jerry Dias said winning the J.D. Power Silver Plant Assembly Line Quality Award is not only a testament to the hard work of unionized auto workers it's also a vote of confidence in an important facility that the company is slated to close next year.

"The future of this plant is still very much up in the air," Dias said at an internal award ceremony held in Oshawa today. "Every day the plant keeps working, gives us more chance to save it in the long run."

Greg Moffatt, Unifor Chairperson of the Local 222 Assembly Complex, said the community of Oshawa cannot afford to lose this facility, which generates major economic spin-off benefits.

"Every job in this plant supports 10 jobs in total, up and down the value chain," Moffatt said. "The Consolidated Line is as much an economic driver for our community as it is a beacon of hope for the future of manufacturing."

Unifor Local 222 President Ron Svajlenko said the J.D. Power award highlights the advantage Canada has in vehicle assembly.

"It's no accident that Oshawa and other Canadian facilities are topping the charts of these quality studies," Svajlenko said. "It's our skilled workforce that's driving that performance."

Two of the top three plants in the Western Hemisphere recognized by J.D. Power in its 2013 quality awards are located in Canada. There are also nine Canadian-made vehicles on the list of Initial Quality winners - three of them made by Unifor members in Oshawa: the Impala, the Regal, and the Camaro.

Vehicles manufactured by Unifor members at the Chrysler plant in Brampton and the GM-CAMI plant in Ingersoll were also recognized along with those built by workers at Toyota and Honda workers in Canada.

The Consolidated Line produces the Chevrolet Impala and the Chevrolet Equinox.

SOURCE: Unifor the union

Unifor Communications, Angelo DiCaro [phone] or Unifor Local 222 Communications, Joe Sarnovsky [phone]