It doesn't support the "Exclusive Camaro production" Theory, but...
09-04-2002, 01:29 PM
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It doesn't support the "Exclusive Camaro production" Theory, but...
It doesn't support the "exclusive Camaro production" urban legends posted here, but it easily shows the mess the CAW (especially with charges of leaving Ste. Therse out to dry) is really in:
American carmakers face possible work stoppages — or bigger payouts to Canada’s labor.
by Joseph Szczesny 9/3/2002
The Canadian Auto Workers are planning to pick a strike target this week — and the once-safe assumption that the target will be the Ford Motor Co. now appears to be uncertain.
In early August, Buzz Hargrove, the CAW's president, had told several people, including members of the United Auto Workers executive board, that he believed Ford would be the union's ultimate target this year. Ford's announcement in January that it planned to close its Ontario truck plant had seriously undercut the automaker's relationship with the Canadian union and the CAW had vowed to get even during the contract talks this fall.
Last week, however, after the union had resumed talks in earnest with Ford, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler, Hargrove backtracked slightly and began hinting that Ford might not be the union's first target this year after all.
"We don't have any favorites," Hargrove said.
The final decision on which company to strike first will be made later this week, he said.
General anticipation
The CAW president's comments underscored the pressure inside the union to make General Motors of Canada its first target this year.
Hargrove is facing a revolt in the CAW's own ranks over the handling of the shutdown of the General Motors assembly plant in Ste. Therese, Quebec. As the Ste. Therese plant built its last Camaros and Firebirds last week, some workers complained bitterly that the CAW had not raised enough hell to try and prevent the shutdown — and perhaps even more damaging, hadn't done enough for its French-speaking members.
The complaints were broadcast all over Canada, putting extra pressure on Hargrove to address the revolt over Ste. Therese.
Hargrove insists the CAW has done everything it could to save the 33-year-old Ste. Therese plant. But since it split from the UAW in 1984, the CAW has grown into a broad confederation representing workers from several different industries and government workers throughout Canada. The union's leadership is ever mindful of the political tensions between French-speaking and English-speaking Canada.
The CAW's contracts with GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler expire at midnight on Sept. 17. Over the weekend, CAW members endorsed strikes against all three automakers if negotiators decide a walkout is necessary for winning an acceptable contract.
The ripple effects from any strike in Canada would quickly be felt in the United States, particularly in the Midwest. The impact would be particularly hard on Ford, however, because the Windsor engine plant builds V-8 engines for a variety of Ford vehicles. A strike at GM would cut off production of transmissions as well as pickup trucks that are now in short supply.
Progress in pieces
Hargrove said negotiations with all three companies had made better than expected progress this summer. The pace of local negotiations has been very brisk, he added: "It appears the companies are making an effort to take care of the local negotiations, and that's a positive sign."
"But talk is cheap. It takes money to buy whiskey," said Hargrove, who noted none of the three automakers has addressed the union's concerns about future investments in Canadian plants.
The CAW's last strike was a 22-day walkout against General Motors in 1996.
"The talks have been cordial, but slow," added Hargrove, who said critical issues have yet to be addressed by the negotiators.
Officials from GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler also reported the talks so far this summer had gone well.
Stewart Low, spokesman for GM of Canada, said up until now, the talks have involved fairly routine discussions at the subcommittee level. However, Kerry Kerr, a spokeswoman for Chrysler of Canada, said the talks won't move into the next phase until the union picks a target.
"We would welcome a chance to pattern an agreement just as we did in 1999," said John Amone, a spokesman for Ford of Canada, who added that Ford expected to reach a settlement without any kind of work interruptions.
American carmakers face possible work stoppages — or bigger payouts to Canada’s labor.
by Joseph Szczesny 9/3/2002
The Canadian Auto Workers are planning to pick a strike target this week — and the once-safe assumption that the target will be the Ford Motor Co. now appears to be uncertain.
In early August, Buzz Hargrove, the CAW's president, had told several people, including members of the United Auto Workers executive board, that he believed Ford would be the union's ultimate target this year. Ford's announcement in January that it planned to close its Ontario truck plant had seriously undercut the automaker's relationship with the Canadian union and the CAW had vowed to get even during the contract talks this fall.
Last week, however, after the union had resumed talks in earnest with Ford, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler, Hargrove backtracked slightly and began hinting that Ford might not be the union's first target this year after all.
"We don't have any favorites," Hargrove said.
The final decision on which company to strike first will be made later this week, he said.
General anticipation
The CAW president's comments underscored the pressure inside the union to make General Motors of Canada its first target this year.
Hargrove is facing a revolt in the CAW's own ranks over the handling of the shutdown of the General Motors assembly plant in Ste. Therese, Quebec. As the Ste. Therese plant built its last Camaros and Firebirds last week, some workers complained bitterly that the CAW had not raised enough hell to try and prevent the shutdown — and perhaps even more damaging, hadn't done enough for its French-speaking members.
The complaints were broadcast all over Canada, putting extra pressure on Hargrove to address the revolt over Ste. Therese.
Hargrove insists the CAW has done everything it could to save the 33-year-old Ste. Therese plant. But since it split from the UAW in 1984, the CAW has grown into a broad confederation representing workers from several different industries and government workers throughout Canada. The union's leadership is ever mindful of the political tensions between French-speaking and English-speaking Canada.
The CAW's contracts with GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler expire at midnight on Sept. 17. Over the weekend, CAW members endorsed strikes against all three automakers if negotiators decide a walkout is necessary for winning an acceptable contract.
The ripple effects from any strike in Canada would quickly be felt in the United States, particularly in the Midwest. The impact would be particularly hard on Ford, however, because the Windsor engine plant builds V-8 engines for a variety of Ford vehicles. A strike at GM would cut off production of transmissions as well as pickup trucks that are now in short supply.
Progress in pieces
Hargrove said negotiations with all three companies had made better than expected progress this summer. The pace of local negotiations has been very brisk, he added: "It appears the companies are making an effort to take care of the local negotiations, and that's a positive sign."
"But talk is cheap. It takes money to buy whiskey," said Hargrove, who noted none of the three automakers has addressed the union's concerns about future investments in Canadian plants.
The CAW's last strike was a 22-day walkout against General Motors in 1996.
"The talks have been cordial, but slow," added Hargrove, who said critical issues have yet to be addressed by the negotiators.
Officials from GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler also reported the talks so far this summer had gone well.
Stewart Low, spokesman for GM of Canada, said up until now, the talks have involved fairly routine discussions at the subcommittee level. However, Kerry Kerr, a spokeswoman for Chrysler of Canada, said the talks won't move into the next phase until the union picks a target.
"We would welcome a chance to pattern an agreement just as we did in 1999," said John Amone, a spokesman for Ford of Canada, who added that Ford expected to reach a settlement without any kind of work interruptions.
09-04-2002, 04:16 PM
#3
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You mean French-Canadians 
I think a general "We want to get as far away from the CAW" theory still works in place of the "exclusive Camaro production" theory.
So GM decides in '98 they want out of Canada, and the F-body facility is the first one targeted. It would not be in GM's best interest to have a 5th gen ready to go in a situation in which it would have had to have been produced in St. Therese. They'd rather kill the car off (even if only temporarily) than commit to another 7-10 yrs in Quebec.
I think a general "We want to get as far away from the CAW" theory still works in place of the "exclusive Camaro production" theory.
So GM decides in '98 they want out of Canada, and the F-body facility is the first one targeted. It would not be in GM's best interest to have a 5th gen ready to go in a situation in which it would have had to have been produced in St. Therese. They'd rather kill the car off (even if only temporarily) than commit to another 7-10 yrs in Quebec.
09-04-2002, 10:55 PM
#4
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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Chris 96 WS6:
You mean French-Canadians
I think a general "We want to get as far away from the CAW" theory still works in place of the "exclusive Camaro production" theory.
So GM decides in '98 they want out of Canada, and the F-body facility is the first one targeted. It would not be in GM's best interest to have a 5th gen ready to go in a situation in which it would have had to have been produced in St. Therese. They'd rather kill the car off (even if only temporarily) than commit to another 7-10 yrs in Quebec.</font>
You mean French-Canadians
I think a general "We want to get as far away from the CAW" theory still works in place of the "exclusive Camaro production" theory.
So GM decides in '98 they want out of Canada, and the F-body facility is the first one targeted. It would not be in GM's best interest to have a 5th gen ready to go in a situation in which it would have had to have been produced in St. Therese. They'd rather kill the car off (even if only temporarily) than commit to another 7-10 yrs in Quebec.</font>
09-05-2002, 07:26 AM
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I don't think I or Camaro Jim is saying anything negative about Canadians and their car building prowess. Jim was just making a joke and I mentioned French-Canadians just to be more accurate. Nobody's knocking Canada or French-Canadians here seriously. The real point of this thread is hashing out GM's union contract issues with CAW. I think GM wants out of Canadian facilities not because of poor quality, but because of high costs.
09-05-2002, 08:11 AM
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With the Canadian prime minister just announcing last week that he was going to ram through the agreement to the kyoto pact, there could be a lot more industry, including automobile manufacturing plants, fleeing south.
09-05-2002, 09:39 AM
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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by ckt101:
With the Canadian prime minister just announcing last week that he was going to ram through the agreement to the kyoto pact, there could be a lot more industry, including automobile manufacturing plants, fleeing south.</font>
With the Canadian prime minister just announcing last week that he was going to ram through the agreement to the kyoto pact, there could be a lot more industry, including automobile manufacturing plants, fleeing south.</font>
09-05-2002, 09:51 AM
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The Kyoto treaty is such a politically correct disaster. At a cost to industrialized countries of 4% of GDP, they predict a whopping .07% reduction in temperature increases over the next 50 years. What a spectacular waste of money on a problem that is yet to be proven to be the cause of human actions!
It is basically just a scheme to transfer wealth to poorer countries while forcing only the industrialized countries curb their emissions. Sucks for Canada that their government is out on the left so far as to seriously think about implementing it, but it would be a boon to the U.S. if the industries don't just bypass us totally and end up in Mexico (which is actually good for us too in a way because the more good jobs they have down there and the more prosperous Mexico is, the fewer problems we'll have with illegals).
It is basically just a scheme to transfer wealth to poorer countries while forcing only the industrialized countries curb their emissions. Sucks for Canada that their government is out on the left so far as to seriously think about implementing it, but it would be a boon to the U.S. if the industries don't just bypass us totally and end up in Mexico (which is actually good for us too in a way because the more good jobs they have down there and the more prosperous Mexico is, the fewer problems we'll have with illegals).
09-05-2002, 10:32 AM
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news from www.cbc.ca
Canadian Auto Workers sets GM as
target in contract talks
Last Updated Thu, 05 Sep 2002 11:23:40
TORONTO - The Canadian Auto Workers set General Motors as their target company as the union prepared to open contract negotiations with the Big Three automakers.
The union's president, Buzz Hargrove made the announcement on Thursday during a press
conference at a downtown Toronto hotel.
"Our union makes the decision on where we believe we can get the best agreement for our members and their families with the least amount of sacrifice that covers off the
key priority issues for the target company, but also the issues that are so important to the other two companies," Hargrove said.
The CAW has already set a Sept. 17 strike deadline. That's the day when current contracts with the three North American automakers expire. Whatever contract the union irons out with GM will serve as a pattern for negotiations with the other two
North American automakers, Ford and DaimlerChrysler.
Analysts and industry observers had predicted the union would select GM because it is the top financial performer of the Big Three. On Wednesday, GM reported that its year-over-year sales in August were
up 22.6 per cent as dealer incentives lured buyers into showrooms.
The CAW announcement marked the first time since 1984 that GM has been designated as the target company for contract talks.
- - - - - end of news - - - -
Canadian Auto Workers sets GM as
target in contract talks
Last Updated Thu, 05 Sep 2002 11:23:40
TORONTO - The Canadian Auto Workers set General Motors as their target company as the union prepared to open contract negotiations with the Big Three automakers.
The union's president, Buzz Hargrove made the announcement on Thursday during a press
conference at a downtown Toronto hotel.
"Our union makes the decision on where we believe we can get the best agreement for our members and their families with the least amount of sacrifice that covers off the
key priority issues for the target company, but also the issues that are so important to the other two companies," Hargrove said.
The CAW has already set a Sept. 17 strike deadline. That's the day when current contracts with the three North American automakers expire. Whatever contract the union irons out with GM will serve as a pattern for negotiations with the other two
North American automakers, Ford and DaimlerChrysler.
Analysts and industry observers had predicted the union would select GM because it is the top financial performer of the Big Three. On Wednesday, GM reported that its year-over-year sales in August were
up 22.6 per cent as dealer incentives lured buyers into showrooms.
The CAW announcement marked the first time since 1984 that GM has been designated as the target company for contract talks.
- - - - - end of news - - - -
09-05-2002, 10:43 AM
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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Chris 96 WS6:
The Kyoto treaty is such a politically correct disaster. ....
</font>
The Kyoto treaty is such a politically correct disaster. ....
</font>
Two provinces have already spoken out against this. Canada's Prime minister is leaving and his potential successor (whom he is at odds with) Paul Martin, owns some of the largest commercial enterprises in Canada. He is by far the brightest of the two. I can't see him pushing this forward ...
Newfoundland Premier Roger Grimes, said he wants a "made in Canada or North America" solution to greenhouse gas emissions, which is also what Klein is after. This could easily gain momentum.
This is far from a done deal ....
Ted
09-08-2002, 11:08 PM
#11
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Posts: 632
I say we kick the UAW/CAW's *** to the curb.
These people are nothing but a pain in the ***, that severely inhibits our corporations abilities.
------------------
"THE F_O_G HAS RISEN, AND WITH IT BEGINS THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA."
1967-2002, Thanks for 35 years of prestige and performance...... We look forward to the FUTURE.
These people are nothing but a pain in the ***, that severely inhibits our corporations abilities.
------------------
"THE F_O_G HAS RISEN, AND WITH IT BEGINS THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA."
1967-2002, Thanks for 35 years of prestige and performance...... We look forward to the FUTURE.
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