Canadian workers went on strike at General Motors facilities

Employees at three General Motors plants in Canada failed to reach an agreement with their employer and began a strike today. This was announced this morning by Unifor, the union negotiating on behalf of the workers. The measure was surprisingly effective. A few hours later, the union reported progress in negotiations.

Who is on strike, where and why?

Unifor is one of the largest Canadian unions, with about 4,300 employees from General Motors alone. The reason for the strike was the employer's unwillingness to negotiate better working conditions for part-time workers — especially those wishing to move to full-time employment. Also among the union's demands are higher hourly wages, an expanded bonus system and better pension plans. Unifor is using the recent successful case with Ford as a model for the new contract.

Employees from Ontario went on strike: Oshawa Assembly Complex and CCA Stamped Products, the St. Catharines Powertrain Plant and the Woodstock Parts Distribution Centre. Workers at the CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll, Ont. of the same General Motors have their own separate agreement, and so they continued to work.

The result of the strike

It is still too early to talk about a complete victory for the union, but General Motors representatives, faced with the workers' failure to show up for their shifts, have already decided to come to the negotiating table. Unifor responded by suspending the strike to give council members a chance to vote on a new agreement.

Union spokesman Jason Gale has already congratulated everyone involved:

"This agreement delivers the kind of historic pay increases our members need and significant pension improvements that will protect their living standards in retirement."

Unifor represents 315,000 workers in all major sectors of the economy. The union stands up for workers and their rights in Canada and abroad, and its ideology is based on the pursuit of progressive change for a better future.