CAW, GM await ruling on blockade
An Ontario judge is considering whether to grant an injunction to end the blockade at General Motors of Canada's Oshawa headquarters.
Judge David Salmers postponed his decision in a Whitby courtroom on Thursday, saying he needed more time to think it over. He said he would deliver his ruling via e-mail as soon as possible.
Canadian Auto Workers union members have been protesting in front of the headquarters since the company announced June 3 it was closing a truck plant in Oshawa by the end of 2009, putting 2,600 people out of work.
On Thursday, the core group of protesters were joined by union members from across the province, creating a rally of about 2,000 people.
GM says higher gas prices and steep declines in truck sales are forcing the plant closure. The automaker says U.S. truck sales in May were down 39 per cent from the same time in 2007.
Just three weeks before the June 3 closure announcement, GM had concluded a collective agreement with CAW aimed at saving jobs at plants in Ontario.
CAW president Buzz Hargrove says GM is violating the agreement by closing the Oshawa plant, although GM argues that there are clauses in the deal that allow the plant to shut down.
With files from the Canadian Press
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