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Union members at four GM plants ratify new agreement

The Canadian Press

Latest comment posted at 10:57 AM EDT 19/05/08

General Motors and the union are awaiting a final vote from one additional General Motors facility in Woodstock, Ont. ...Read the full article

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  1. JD Wood from Toronto, Canada writes: It would very much please me to see a generous deal come through for these workers. In the long term, they will all be unemployed while these oil-guzzling environmentally wasteful businesses expire. I hope the workers get enough of a package to ensure their long term future in this dog-eat-dog more-money-for-the-rich world.
  2. Bildebergers beware you've robbed your last grave from Canada writes: Way to go Buzz. Salvaged a few jobs, lowerd the entry pay and cowtowed to the BIG THREE!1

    Tremendous job!

    Keep going after that dead horse.

    I think new labour union should be started to promote our"made in canada" auto industry. DYansty and ZENN.

    All you locals out there clamouring for the gov't to do somehing should start promoting what we have here and lobby the gov't into allowing electric cars to be nt only made in canada but sold in canada.
  3. Dead-Eye Dick from Fiji writes:

    I'm happy for the CAW workers, but I don't have a good feeling about the future of Ontario's primary source of income-the production of domestic cars. What is happening in Windsor Ontario is a metaphor for what will soon happen in the entire province.
  4. R E from Scarborough, Canada writes: The Camaro? Is GM betting on the number of high school drop-outs to increase?
  5. snow lander from edmonton, Canada writes: why is GM wanting to revive the Camaro??? omigod. it's as if Buzz and GM are doing their little dance oblivious to what is going on around them. ZENN will never get the roll out they deserve for being out in the fore. The established auto lobby will ensure that. Even as Johnny-come-latelies they will have their plugins ready for 2010 and ZENN will be a curious footnote in Canadian automotive history.
  6. Mike McFae from Canada writes: Smart move Buzz. JD Wood , you sound like a very depressing and/or depressed person. Your responses are all the same. Cheer up fella .
  7. AU GT from Long Beach, United States writes: Kennedy seizure comments were SEVERELY SENSORED and then closed. His seizure makes me think of Mary Jo Kopechne who wasn't allowed to live these past 40 years. What would Mary Jo say about her killr.
  8. Wilf Kruggel from Canada writes: JD Wood, you and the CAW grew up with the same fickle minds so are you surprised if this bunch of greedy unionized clowns is voting themselves out of a job sooner rather than later? The pigeons are coming home to roost, sooner rather than later and all your greedy union brothers and sisters will be on easy street, sweeping it. It couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch of greedy clowns, cheers, Wilf
  9. D B from Canada writes: Wilf Kruggel from Canada, do you know what is so wonderful about the Globe and Mail reader's comment section? It is the purest form of democracy. Anyone can voice an opinion no matter how backward or thoughtless. It's also an excellent place to show that there's no point in reasoning with such regressive ideas, and that 50% of the population really does have an IQ below 100.

    So thank you Wilf for giving me the opportunity to exercise my democratic right.

    To others capable of thought. in my opinion the CAW is entirely corrupt. Time and time again Hargrove shows who his masters really are. The CAW lies by claiming that it has a "no concession" policy but repeatedly reveals its hypocrisy.

    I despise unions not because they are "greedy", but because they betray those they are supposed to represent and prostrate themselves before those they are supposed to defend the workers from. The consequences go far beyond just union members. Despite their shortcomings, until the 80s or so unions at least provided some bulwark against corporate excess. But now they have become full partners with the corporations. They aren't interested in fighting for the working class. They're interested in maintaining their own privilages. Concessions are acceptable as long as the dues income isn't impacted.

    Are you aware that CAW national representatives pull in 6 figure incomes? This doesn't include travel, accomodation and perks. At the CAW represented company where I once worked (layed off after 23 years with no help from an impotent and corrupt union local), unpaid union representatives pull in a $500 a month stipend, again not including travel, accomodation and perks. As for defending the worker they're utterly impotent and apathetic. At negotiation time they speak on behalf of the employer and consistantly "unanimously recommend" regressive, concession laden contracts. Union/management "partnership" is part of the collective agreement language. Disgusting!!!
  10. boz dobbs from toronto, Canada writes: Hey Buzz,the TTC worker,s got 10 per cent over 3 years and their birthday off with pay,usually taken up with another TTC worker getting time and a half to cover for the candle blower,but then again the taxpayer does have deeper pockets.
  11. Steve Fournier from Harrow (vwry near Windsor), Canada writes: I'm reading this article, while sitting in a hotel room in Saltillo Mexico. I am here re-commissioning some equipment that was removed from Michigan. I am with two other Canadian tradesmen who are considering moving here, because of the great opportunites for them here. Sorry to say, but the days of being an unskilled worker and receiving higher than tradesman wages are over. The world value of "big 3" production work is $3.00 per hour here, and people seem to get by on it with lots of smiling faces. Skilled people however, live very well and work very hard. And the incentive for those less skilled is great. Welcome to globalisation, I only fear for our children because the shock of a world economy is going to be severe for them. Educate your young my friends. It is the only hope that they may live as we have.
  12. George Bishop from Fergus, Ontario, Canada writes: I cant believe the anti Union comments from both DB and Wilf, please people get a life, you want the Union to work for you? then you have to take part in Union meetings and make sure the things you want are in the contract, people have to get off there butts and take part in every Union meeting, I know first hand that is there is a quoram of 15 members of a Union, some meetings cant make that figure and some locals have 500 members, a lot of Canadians are lazy when it comes to taking part in a democratic organization, Unions are still needed as Companies today tend to be very greedy and if you dont stand up you will loose!
    I also agree that GM is crazy in bringing back a Sports Car when Petrol is so high these days, also a rear wheel vehicle is harder on Petrol than is a Front wheel one, I know as I drive a rear wheel vehicle! Carry on people and dont suffer fools!
  13. D B from Canada writes: George Bishop from Fergus, don't second guess my involvement in the union, and for God's sake don't equate me with Wilf the crackpot.

    I was a shop steward for ten years and went through the CAW 4 week PEL and Family Education programs. I got off my butt and saw first hand the corruption, apathy and utter uselessness of the local. I paid union dues for over 23 years and got laid off because of the concessions the union helped push through. They are completely impotent.

    They hold NO regular union meetings. They provide NO effective communications. They negotiate regressive and harmful Letters of Understanding in secret. They do not follow grievance timelines. They refuse to take ANYTHING to arbitration. Every collective agreement over the past 15 years has been regressive and full of concessions, and every one is unanimously endorsed by the executive board.

    Take some time to analyse what the UAW and CAW are doing to their members - wage slashing, speed-ups, give-backs. You name it. The union use fear tactics, isolation and brow-beating to get these lousy contracts pushed through. They are in PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CORPORATIONS. Their function is to suppress any independant worker action on behalf of their masters.

    For example look at the proposed agreement at American Axle. A 3 month strike and what do the members vote on? Enormous cutbacks in wages and benefits, some to below poverty levels.

    Understand this. research it. The truth will set you free. Unions have long outlived their usefullness. Workers must unite and take action INDEPENDENT of the corrupt union bureaucracy.

    You Sir need to get a life because you are living in a fantasy world if you actually believe what you write.
  14. Harbinger from Out West from Canada writes: I keep saying the phrase, "Senator Buzz Hargrove". I think I need counselling. With Ted Kennedy and the comments being closed almost immediately, most of the comments are soooo predictable and somewhat nasty. It's as if political correctness has taken a holiday . No wonder we can't comment on the majority of news items.
  15. D B from Canada writes: Steve Fournier from Harrow, Globalisation is dead. It is a failed experiment. Open your eyes. Although there have been successes, there have been disasters. Good paying manufacturing jobs have been shipped to China, the sweatshop of the world. Americans in particular have become much, much poorer, and Canada always plays catch-up. Nationalism and protectionism are on the rise.

    Even an education is no guarantee of a good job. Many high-tech jobs have been shipped overseas: engineering and software development come to mind. This drives down wages for professionals here.

    It's great that Mexico has so many opportunities to live well on $3 an hour. Perhaps we should all move down there.
  16. D B from Canada writes: Harbinger from Out West from Canada writes: I keep saying the phrase, "Senator Buzz Hargrove". I think I need counselling.

    No, you don't need counselling. Your subconsciouse simply says what you consciounce refuses to believe: it's payback time for Buzz Hargrove. He has served his masters well.
  17. Bobby Culture from Canada writes: Bildebergers: I agree with you about electric vehicles. Once we produce them, why would you want them to be sold ONLY IN CANADA? That puzzles me. Wouldn't we want the rest of the world to buy it? If the product is good, it will sell itself.
  18. George Bishop from Fergus, Ontario, Canada writes: You are correct DB, you are not like "Wilf" thanks for that,I sure dont understand how the CAW operates as a Union, I do know they operate from the top down, unlike the Union I was part of in the Private sector too and a all Canadian Union as well. I also attended the CAW school in Port Elgin, but not as part of the CAW, my own Union only used the place for training of our Stewards and other executives! My Union did hold regular meetings and also take on grievances that sometimes go all the way up the ladder , most with great success. Be well
  19. Wilf Kruggel from Canada writes: To all you union "whinners", the only corporations that can't leave Canada are companies like TTC as it's "kinda" hard moving Toronto to China or India but if they could they would. You guys have these ill thought out antiquated labor laws on your side so that allowed the union movement to legally shut the employers down by a group that does not believe in democracy, till such time the croprations gave in to the rediculous union demands, hence the 70-plus dollars per hour with perks settlements, which no human is worth. I hope you dudes aren't pipe dreaming but these companies wont be comming back to North America soon now that your unions chased them out. Don't you guys think that over the years, it would have been better to employ just a hint of common sense during those labor negotiations because had this been done, all the corporations who fled this country would still be here, employing your brothers and sisters. I ask you, would that sinario have been a better one? It doesn't take rocket science to figure that one out. Toottles, Wilf
  20. James brown from Canada writes: Buzz needs to understand that the three automakers need to make a better product if they want people to buy them. I have yet to hear someone say "I'll never buy that crappy Japanese product again" or "I will stay away from German product from now on." There is no point in coming up with a product for the sake of keeping union members employed...oh, maybe there is...to have them keep paying union dues in order to keep Buzz in a lifestyle he's become accustomed to at a salary of near somewhere in the neighbourhood of $200,000 to $300,000/year!
  21. Yvonne Wackernagel from Woodville, Canada writes: D B from Canada writes: Wilf Kruggel from Canada, do you know what is so wonderful about the Globe and Mail reader's comment section? It is the purest form of democracy. Anyone can voice an opinion no matter how backward or thoughtless. It's also an excellent place to show that there's no point in reasoning with such regressive ideas, and that 50% of the population really does have an IQ below 100. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BEAUTIFUL ! However, in the economic climate today, I think the union got a good deal at the prsent time if the following statement is what I hope it means: "In a statement released Saturday, the CAW said the three-year deal resisted two-tier wages, while improving benefits and strengthening health and safety regulations." I think unions served a good purpose about 50 years ago; we needed them to intervene in the downward trend of the oppressed workers; however, as time went on, they got 'overblown' in their demands and things became 'out of wack' and caused a two tier society. Unfortunately, the cycle has turned against them, at least those in private enterprise and I hope things will also balance out for the government employees' unions soon. Nevertheless, the unionized employess -if they were prudent -should be financially comfortable at the present time and should not have much to grumble about, taking the economic state of affairs, not only in the auto industry, but in Ontario and Quebec generally.
  22. Rosehill Avenue from Toronto, Canada writes: I love these Union/Anti- Union comment sections. Almost as entertaining as Hilbama/McCain comment boards.

    I'm still wondering why those silly folk at the ATU113 voted down their 10% over 3 years. Sounds like fantasyland to me, when their union brothers and sisters in the real world have a salary freeze and are fast on their way to 2-tier wages.
  23. SN Dream from Canada writes: D B from Canada writes: Steve Fournier from Harrow, Globalisation is dead. It is a failed experiment. Open your eyes. Although there have been successes, there have been disasters. Good paying manufacturing jobs have been shipped to China, the sweatshop of the world. Americans in particular have become much, much poorer, and Canada always plays catch-up. Nationalism and protectionism are on the rise.

    Even an education is no guarantee of a good job. Many high-tech jobs have been shipped overseas: engineering and software development come to mind. This drives down wages for professionals here.

    It's great that Mexico has so many opportunities to live well on $3 an hour. Perhaps we should all move down there.
    ------------------------------------------
    First, it's thanks to globalization we able to enjoys decades of low inflation high growth period since the mid 90's in Canada. Many of the pain we experienced are instead caused by the mountainous debt you guys accumulated recklessly and now the younger generation are force have to repay your debt. Also, imaging how much we will be better off if we can start investing money for for the next RIMs instead of keep on pushing up the BIG 3 every few years.

    Yes, education is no guarantee of a good job. But that's really depends on what field and university you go to. But if you have a degree from a decent university or a particular diploma from a college, you can find a decent job after a while. But if you are taking IT from a crappy college, you will be much better off to drop out from high school and learn how to drive a truck. You have no idea how horrible are how bottom of barrel college grads are.

    Please move to
  24. D B from Canada writes: The Globe and Mail are once again censoring my comments. I have tried twice to send the same comments and they don't appear.
  25. Roop Misir from Toronto, Canada writes:
    Buzz is one pragmatic negotiator!
  26. J L from Canada writes: I congratulate the CAW Membership and their employers for coming to a satisfactory agreement for both party's.The Auto Sector is going through a tough time. The American economy is slowing down and people are just not buying. Both the employer and employee are going to have to make some changes,adjustments) as to how they do business.and the demands employees put on their employer for higher and higher wage and benefit package'sThe GM's the Ford's and the Chrysler Daimler are having difficulty selling their product , and as business people they will and have taken steps to reduce their operating costs.It is up to the Industry and NOT the government to produce suitable products at reasonable prices to get people back into their showrooms and BUYING. and to attempt to find markets in other parts of the world in which to sell their vehicles.One thing Government can do and have done is to lower taxes for both the producer and the potential customer leaving them with more disposable income and ,sign trading agreements with countries that have a market for the goods we produce. and when applicable and appropriate give initiatives to Investors and Developers to locate in our country.,But to get involved in the daily operations of the private sector is clearly irresponsible, as is having the taxpayer subsidizing employers to keep their operations afloat, producing a product that they can't sell.The American economy will turn around eventually, and it's up to the Mfg Sector to insure that they have the product(s )that their potential customers are looking for and will purchase, when that happens the producer requires more Inventory which in turn means more jobs.for more people.It's called free enterprise. Frankly the less government gets involved in that process the better.
  27. bill k from Canada writes: D B from Canada writes 'The union use fear tactics, isolation and brow-beating to get these lousy contracts pushed through. They are in PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CORPORATIONS. ' Many here do not understand reality and what is happening. Buzz is a corporate mole and capitalism is for the rich as we saw tens of billions of dollar bail outs. People here blame Buzz for products which he and it's member have no control over. SN Dream from Canada writes "Even an education is no guarantee of a good job. Many high-tech jobs have been shipped overseas: engineering and software development come to mind. This drives down wages for professionals here." That is capitalism/globalization which benefits the RICH only. The middle class/poor you better stand together and join more unions to fight off the rich/corporate goals to turn all of you into slaves. You working slaves complain about other workers as upper management/rich rake in tens of MILLIONs and some even make upto a BILLION dollars a year and you complain about workers making peanuts?

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