CAW Union head Buzz Hargrove threatens to take GM down in '08 if...
by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Jun 7th 2007 at 8:36AM 
Things are not looking good for American automakers' plants in Windsor, Ontario. Canadian Auto Workers Union head Buzz Hargrove was upset when Ford shut down a plant in Windsor a while back, and now he's directing his frustration towards General Motors. Recently, St. Catherines, also in Canada and represented by the CAW, was awarded a new contract to build transmissions for GM. St. Catherines had never had a contract to build transmissions for GM before, and the CAW was expecting the Windsor plant to get that contract. The Windsor plant now has no product to build and nothing in the pipeline, and Hargrove is threatening more than just a strike: a total take-down of General Motors. The union would like to see a new product there, not something that will take another plant down in lieu of Windsor. Read more about that here. We'll give you a few choice phrases from Hargrove and Chris Buckley, president of Local 222, after the jump. They sound pretty serious about this, as you'll read.
[Source: The Windsor Star via Autospies]
"I say to them, you better find a G** damn product for Windsor or we'll take all of the General Motors corporation down in September 2008. General Motors workers have earned the commitment, especially in Windsor."
"If there's a strike, it's the whole GM chain that's out, not just one plant."
"General Motors is the enemy, brothers and sisters. At the end of the day, GM made a decision to put your jobs in jeopardy. Don't let General Motors divide our solidarity, because if they do, they win."
"This Windsor Transmission plant will be top on our agenda. It's going to be our objective to force General Motors to put a product in that plant. If they don't, then we'll take action. If it takes a strike in Canada to get their attention, that's exactly what we're going to be doing. The Windsor membership has the full support of GM members across the country."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Nick 8:41AM (6/07/2007)
GM should just break the union, if they're allowed to by laws. I'm sure they can find people willing to work for less than what the union will take- cutting off the limb now so the rest of the animal can live is what they need to do. These union reps don't seem to get what a bad spot GM as a whole is in.
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Michael 7:50PM (6/07/2007)
Actually, in Ontario, GM would not be allowed to directly break the union by law. Of course, they can bend the law until they break it.
And, of course, they can find people who will work for less. How does that help your economy? How far away from the economy generated by auto-workers are you?
We need to find a way to protect all jobs, not just yours or mine.
LARRY BONTRAGER 12:02PM (6/17/2007)
Nick...Wouldn't it be better to fight for higher wages for workers? Why do you and others always want to have workers work for the lowest bidder? If corporations had their way, workers would be working for $5 or less an hour.
You either have a good job or are jealous of someone making a decent living.Please try to put your energy into a more positive outlook for better wages and stop being so negative when it comes to workers making more money. Thank you.
Vic 11:32AM (6/15/2007)
Think again about letting corporations kill unions. There is a reason why industry over the past 100 years had to continue to enhance pay and benefits. It was because of Unionized workers demanding their fair share. It certainly wasn"t because of a corporate exec's kind heart! It is happening all over the US and guess what? When you loose the power to control your destiny and watch the middle class shrink while the rich get richer you move towards a socialist society where the common person is just a slave to the elite. Why is an average corporate exec's pay 1000 times more than the worker when just 30 years ago it was 15 times more? That answer is shrinking unions and corporate greed condoned by the pro-business government!!
Patrick Horne 3:44PM (6/15/2007)
I agree. It's obvious from such a rediculous statement that this is really the only course of action. The two choices are ...
#1 Break the stranglehold of the unions and pay a terrible price in doing so. This gives you a change to reform, get fit, and actually compete with imports in the long run. You risk losing everything, but you have a good chance to survive and succeed.
#2 Stay the same course as in the past 75 years, keep the status quo, and enjoy the immediate survival. Slowly but surely, these leeches will take product competitiveness lower until lower. To change course will become harder and harder with each passing year. If you never break them, then you are GUARANTEED to collapse.
Andy 8:42AM (6/07/2007)
I think it might be time for the big automakers to take down the Unions. Wonder why the big three are lacking a lot of money? Why aren't they competitive? Why do health care costs at GM per car cost more than the steel needed to build it? The answer to all 3 is the same.
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Michael 7:51PM (6/07/2007)
Andy, gotta ask you. How much control do you think the workers had in those decisions?
None. No input into management costs. No input into marketing and design. No input into legislation that covers benefits and pensions.
JohnnyB 1:36AM (9/01/2007)
"? Why do health care costs at GM per car cost more than the steel needed to build it?"
Umm, this is in Canada, GM doesn't pay a lot for health care. It's covered by OHIP.
GM actually sent a letter to US Congress asking for universal healthcare because it reduces their costs: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/55389.php "Ford, Chrysler, GM To Ask Congress For Legislation To Help With Health Care Costs"
"“The Canadian plan has been a significant advantage for investing in Canada,” says GM Canada spokesman David Patterson, noting that in the United States, GM spends $1,400 per car on health benefits. Indeed, with the provinces sharing 75 percent of the cost of Canadian healthcare, it’s no surprise that GM, Ford and Chrysler have all been shifting car production across the border at such a rate that the name “Motor City” should belong to Windsor, not Detroit." http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2081/
http://www.house.gov/mcdermott/sp051215a.shtml "Congressman Jim McDermott - Speeches - U.S. Auto Industry Supports Universial Healthcare... in Canada caw gm aut"
Paul 8:51AM (6/07/2007)
I used to be a HUGE supporter of the UAW and the like but frankly, they are the reason we are in the mess we are in with the big three... they can go shove it...
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Michael 7:51PM (6/07/2007)
Paul, pay attention. We're talking about the CAW. There is a reason that the CAW split from the UAW, and it was to avoid the mess that the Big Three were creating.
Paul 12:52AM (6/08/2007)
You are correct Michael and I am aware but it seems like the CAW is acting in a fashion that is almost less responsible than the UAW...
Just my opinion.
BLS 8:59AM (6/07/2007)
Thinking of your employer as the enemy, then quit. Of course good luck finding a job after you threatened to put your former employer out of business.
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mk 10:10AM (6/07/2007)
Most people would do just that, BLS. But these people cannot be reasoned with. To them this is not about privledge but about entitlement. They are born into this mentality. It is like a religious cult and the only way it will stop is with the decimation of the American auto industry.
Michael 7:51PM (6/07/2007)
BLS
I think you would agree that anyone who takes away your bread and butter is the enemy. The point is that GM said the jobs were going, there are no jobs available in Windsor right now. There is no other employer to worry about. The backs are to the wall.
MK
What are you talking about? Workers work, managers manage, it's a business deal.
whofan 9:00AM (6/07/2007)
ALL the import fans shit on the domestic automaker for going to Mexico.
Why don`t they organize the Foriegn comapnys and quit bitting the hand that feeds them?
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Michael 7:51PM (6/07/2007)
Whofan
that is a very good point. The answer is that Free Trade Zones don't allow that nor does the government of China. To all intents and purposes neither does Japan or Korea.
We are not dealing with a level playing field here. The CAW is all for helping other worker reach the same level as us.
Yaroukh 9:01AM (6/07/2007)
it seems like the union HQs are the same mf-dumba$$es in all continents
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Michael 7:52PM (6/07/2007)
Yaroukh
that was a useless comment. Have a look at the '30 and then at how the unions have bettered that.
Yaroukh 3:21AM (6/08/2007)
Michael: Remind me PLZ what year we write now? Is it '30? I don't think so. Seems more like 80 years later...
Yes, your comment really was useless.
Have a nice day
PuffyC 9:01AM (6/07/2007)
Sadly it gets harder every day to support unions. It would be so easy for them to play this thing right and gain sympathy from the average American/Canadian but they blow it every time. It's almost as if they want themselves to fail. Personally it depresses me because unions can be great thing, but people like this pervert it and turn it into something bad. Don't they realize that long term they're playing right into GM's hands? And how screwed up is it when the company you work for, the company that feeds your family, is referred to as "the enemy". Unfortunately these clowns have lost all perspective. They'll be the ones to kill the unions and we'll all be worse off for it.
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