Unifor Local 88 has threatened to take over the GM CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll, Ontario if the company attempts to remove anything from the building.
This comes after GM announced last month that it was pausing production of an electric cargo van at the plant which put more than 1,000 jobs at risk.
Members of Unifor Local 88, which represents the workers employed by the plant, quickly took to the streets to call for the protection of Canadian jobs.
“For nearly four decades, Unifor Local 88 members at the GM CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll have built vehicles that drive Canada’s auto industry forward,” a web post by Unifor reads. “Unifor members, families, and the entire town of Ingersoll are standing together to demand that GM keep its promises, invest in Canadian manufacturing, and protect the workers who build our future.”
In a November 11 bargaining update from the union, the local’s GM CAMI chairperson, Mike Van Boekel, said the workers will take over the plant if the employer attempts to remove anything from it.
“We are not kidding. We are fighting to ensure CAMI stays open, and as I mentioned in my video update, we will do whatever it takes to protect our jobs, our members, and the future of this plant,” Van Boekel wrote.
Since this warning, GM has presented the union with a proposal to resolve two grievances that deal with issues related to layoff notice timelines and pay requirements. The union made a counter offer that included “new concepts for [GM] to consider.”
“We want to be clear that our main goal is to try and retain the plant and push GM to consider the short term and long-term future of our plant,” Van Boekel wrote in an update on Monday.
While the membership awaits further updates, pressure to keep jobs in Canada grows. Unifor Local 88 representatives met with Canada’s Minister of Industry, Melanie Joly, last week and came out feeling hopeful about the government’s commitment to protecting the CAMI plant.
The Unifor members were joined by Ingersoll’s mayor, Brian Petrie, who emphasized the importance of good paying jobs remaining in the community.
How the federal government will handle these labour disputes that could see Canadian jobs being moved south of the border remains to be seen, but their action will come at a time when the majority of Canadians support the protection of auto jobs. A poll done by Pollara shows that nearly three quarters (74 per cent) of Canadians believe if the country’s auto sector collapsed, it would have a “devastating” impact on the economy.
READ MORE: Workers ‘needed more’ from Budget 2025 amidst trade crisis, Labour Congress says
As a result, 63 per cent of Canadians feel the Government of Canada should provide financial support to keep the auto sector afloat for the duration of the trade war with the US.
“Canadians fully understand the significance of this U.S. attack on Canadian workers, their communities and to the country’s entire industrial base,” said Payne. “As a nation it’s clear that we do not want to back down and allow Trump to kill Canadian auto and manufacturing jobs.”
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