'This fight is far from over': CAW leader on end of GM blockade
Union members complied with a court order to end their blockade at General Motors of Canada's headquarters on Monday, but warned they have more protests in store for the automaker.
Members of the Canadian Auto Workers packed up and drove their cars and trucks away from the Oshawa, Ont., office building a few minutes before 7 a.m., in keeping with a deadline imposed by the Ontario Superior Court.
"We never, ever intended to violate the terms the judge put in place," CAW Local 222 president Chris Buckley told CBC News after the blockade ended.
Union members had been barricading GM's headquarters since June 4, the day after the company announced it would close the truck plant in the city, putting 2,600 people out of work.
'In a climate of high gas prices, no one wants an 8 cylinder gas guzzling GM truck. It's real simple. The CAW is fighting a losing battle.'
--Barney Hickey
Add your comment
Buckley said that while GM staff members are now being allowed to enter their headquarters for the first time in 12 days, other protests are planned in the coming days and weeks.
Buckley wouldn't say exactly what kind of protests will be staged, but he noted that hundreds of union members have now gathered near the Oshawa headquarters and a parade through the city is possible.
Union leaders are also meeting with union lawyers in Toronto to discuss taking the dispute to the Ontario Labour Relations Board.
"We plan on continuing this fight on behalf of all of our members," Buckley said. "Just stay tuned. This fight is far from over."
He did note that the union does not have immediate plans to hold a wildcat strike or disrupt production at area plants.
"At this point, we're not going to pull our workforce out of the plants," he said. "We understand the auto industry is not very healthy at this time and we're not going to put our members' jobs at risk."
Injunction filed ThursdayGM filed an injunction requesting the end of the blockade on Thursday, arguing the protest has kept 900 people away from work and hampered day-to-day operations.
Ontario Superior Court Judge David Salmers ruled Friday that the Canadian Auto Workers had until 7 a.m. ET on Monday to end their protest.
The automaker says higher gas prices and steep declines in truck sales are forcing it to close the truck plant by the end of 2009. GM says U.S. truck sales in May were down 39 per cent from the same time in 2007.
News of the closing came just three weeks after GM reached a collective bargaining agreement with the CAW aimed at saving jobs at plants in Ontario.
CAW president Buzz Hargrove has said GM is violating the agreement by closing the Oshawa plant. GM argues that there are clauses in the deal that allow the plant to shut down.
With files from the Canadian Press
0 comments:
Post a Comment