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Make the Skilled Trades Association Your Home Page Our Mission Statement Our mandate is to help strengthen our union by supporting our leadership and creating a Skilled Trades Association dedicated to the full employment and well being of all trades in our plants and across Ontario. We are also committed to supporting our friends in production and being responsible community members helping out where we can.
Archives June 2009 June 29, 2009 - GM has asked a New York bankruptcy judge to dismiss about 750 objections when he considers tomorrow whether to allow the sale of most of its assets to a new entity in the most crucial phase of the carmaker's restructuring. In "Trades News Articles"
June 26, 2009 - After 9.7 million trucks (built over the past 90 years), General Motors' truck plant in Oshawa is closed -- for good. Old news, right? In "Trades News Articles"
June 25, 2009 - GM, rushing to emerge from bankruptcy as a profitable automaker, can’t keep up with demand for the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro sports car. In "Trades News Articles"
June 19, 2009 - General Motors Corp. is putting about 900 workers at a Lansing-area plant back to work due to rising demand for the Buick Enclave, Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia crossover vehicles. In "Trades News Articles"
June 15, 2009 - Reaction to the federal government's $10.5-billion auto industry bailout has been "mixed" in southern Ontario, and the chair of the government's auto caucus says it's been a difficult issue that he's spent a lot of time selling in his riding. In "Trades News Articles"
June 10, 2009 - Fiat’s historic purchase of Chrysler LLC under the guidance of the Obama administration was all but complete today, as the Supreme Court lifted a temporary halt to the deal and a New York bankruptcy judge approved Chrysler’s plan to shed 789 dealers. In "Trades News Articles"
June 4, 2009 - It's tough to accept that taxpayers in Canada and Ontario now have a nearly 12 per cent ownership stake in General Motors. In "Trades News Articles"
June 1, 2009 - While General Motors Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States and accepted billions of dollars in government cash, the future of the automaker’s St. Catharines operations seemed cautiously bright Monday. In "Trades News Articles"
May 2009 May 31, 2009 - While General Motors Corp. will almost certainly file for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. on Monday, its Canadian subsidiary should emerge from a massive restructuring process relatively unscathed. In "Trades News Articles"
The news no one wants to hear is coming Monday morning to General Motors Corp. factories across the U.S. In "Trades News Articles"
May 29, 2009 - General Motors is desperately trying to keep its Canadian operations running as its parent heads towards bankruptcy court protection in the United States and possibly Canada during the next week, a top union leader says. In "Trades News Articles"
GMs’ bondholders received a much better deal Thursday morning than the previous offer of a 10 percent stake in the company if they did not oppose the company’s bankruptcy filing. It is now reported that the company will file for bankruptcy this Monday. In "Trades News Articles"
May 26, 2009 - Canadian Auto Workers members have voted in favour of a cost-cutting deal with General Motors, a key hurdle for the automaker that was a condition of billions in government loans. In "Trades News Articles"
May 25, 2009 - General Motors of Canada Ltd. will follow Chrysler Canada Ltd.'s lead and help create an independent health-care trust for current auto workers and retirees as part of the automaker's tentative restructuring agreement with the Canadian Auto Workers. In "Trades News Articles"
May 24, 2009 - The federal and Ontario governments will indirectly pump billions of taxpayer dollars into addressing a huge shortfall in the General Motors pension plan as part of a historic deal to help keep the automaker alive, the company's union says. In "Trades News Articles"
May 22, 2009 - General Motors and the Canadian Auto Workers have reached a tentative deal for significant concessions so it can qualify for billions of dollars in loans to keep the ailing auto giant alive. In "Trades News Articles"
May 21, 2009 - Though we were just warned that new deals between General Motors and the major auto unions in the U.S. and Canada were unlikely to be completed by their May 27 deadline, word has begun spreading that a tentative agreement has been reached between GM and the United Auto Workers union. In "Trades News Articles"
Talks for worker concessions at General Motors of Canada dragged on yesterday with some minor progress but no tentative deal. In "Trades News Articles"
May 20, 2009 - Ottawa is flexible about when General Motors Canada and its union reach a new labour agreement, as long as it's part of a finished restructuring plan to be delivered by the end of May, Industry Minister Tony Clement says. In "Trades News Articles"
May 17, 2009 - The CAW may be able to come to an agreement with General Motors soon, but fixing the auto company's pension fund is "too complex" to be achieved during the groups' current round of talks, says an industry expert. In "Trades News Articles"
May 12, 2009 - A General Motors Corp. bankruptcy filing in the United States would not automatically trigger similar action in other countries, including Canada, CEO Fritz Henderson said Monday. In "Trades News Articles"
General Motors wants concessions on the closure agreement for Windsor’s transmission plant as it looks for further cost-cutting in a new round of government-imposed bargaining, according to CAW president Ken Lewenza. In "Trades News Articles"
Bankruptcy protection for the America's biggest automaker is becoming more probable with a deadline just over two weeks away, the company's top executive said Monday. In "Trades News Articles"
May 10, 2009 - The surrender Friday of a group of Chrysler's dissatisfied lenders removed the largest remaining obstacle to the automaker's quick emergence from bankruptcy. In "Trades News Articles"
General Motors Corp. will shift more production of vehicles bound for the U.S. market to China, Mexico, South Korea and Japan, but will keep total imports at roughly one-third of all sales here. In "Trades News Articles"
May 4, 2009 - One enormous myth that has been propagated (sometimes innocently, sometimes not) in recent debates over the future of the auto industry is the false notion that auto workers "make" $75 per hour. In "Trades News Articles"
May 1, 2009 - Attorneys for Chrysler LLC said the company will file a motion by Saturday morning to sell substantially all of its assets to Italian automaker Fiat Group SpA, but that won't include eight plants, including five that the automaker revealed it will shutter by the end of next year. In "Trades News Articles"
April 2009 April 30, 2009 - U.S. President Barack Obama shepherded Chrysler LLC into a historic bankruptcy today, backed by more than $8 billion in new government aid designed to allow a partnership to emerge in 30 to 60 days. In "Trades News Articles"
April 27, 2009 - General Motors on Monday unveiled its last-ditch viability plan, which calls for slashing thousands more jobs, closing 16 factories, killing the historic Pontiac brand and erasing almost all of $27 billion in debt, creating a company 50% owned by the federal government. In "Trades News Articles"
April 26, 2009 - With 90.3 per cent support, Windsor Canadian Auto Workers members on Sunday ratified a tentative agreement with Chrysler that contains concessions totalling $240 million per year but preserves existing base wages and pensions. In "Trades News Articles"
Negotiations over the U.S. government's bailout of Chrysler and General Motors have shifted into high gear, and from this point until the end of June, things are likely to get more tense and complicated. In "Trades News Articles"
April 25, 2009 - The CAW has reached a tentative agreement with Chrysler Canada Ltd. on a new collective agreement, as part of the North American auto industry's restructuring process. In "Trades News Articles"
April 24, 2009 - Peacock was among 500 people in a convoy of 10 buses that left the Canadian Auto Workers Hall on Bunting Road Thursday morning for a pension protection rally at the Ontario Legislature in Toronto. In "Trades News Articles"
April 23, 2009 - As North America's troubled auto industry lurches toward its latest do-or-die restructuring deadlines, huge public pressure has been focused on the CAW's negotiations with Chrysler and General Motors. A steady stream of corporate executives has lined up to make a familiar threat: workers must deeply cut their wages and benefits, or plants will close and the jobs will be lost. In "Trades News Articles"
General Motors Corp. is planning to temporarily close most of its U.S. factories for up to nine weeks this summer because of slumping sales and growing inventories of unsold vehicles, two people briefed on the plan said today. In "Trades News Articles"
April 20, 2009 - About 1,600 white-collar workers at General Motors Corp. will lose their jobs in the next few days as the troubled automaker accelerates cost cuts in order to qualify for more government aid. In "Trades News Articles"
Chrysler Canada and the CAW begin negotiations today in a final attempt to reach an agreement that could save the company from bankruptcy or even liquidation. In "Trades News Articles"
April 18, 2009 - The past week has seen an unprecedented and outrageous series of attacks on Canadian autoworkers and their union. One after another, business executives and political leaders, working clearly in tandem, have lined up to denounce the CAW's role in the auto restructuring process, and to demand that we accept up to $19 per hour in concessions or else face massive job losses and economic dislocation. In "Trades News Articles"
April 17, 2009 - Chrysler and General Motors are demanding steep givebacks in pensions and other benefits from members of the Canadian Auto Workers union on the grounds that, unlike their American counterparts, they can count on generous government-sponsored health care. In "Trades News Articles"
April 16, 2009 - I have enjoyed being one of the three economists appearing on the occasional “Bottom Line” panel which CBC TV has been running on its National News. My fellow panelists are personable, informed, and for the most part non-dogmatic about things. In "Trades News Articles"
The Canadian Auto Workers union says it won't accept more concessions under Chrysler than those agreed upon with General Motors, despite reports the company's potential merger partner will walk unless further cuts are taken. In "Trades News Articles"
April 13, 2009 - The U.S. Treasury Department is advising General Motors to prepare for a possible bankruptcy filing by June 1, the New York Times is reporting. GM's new chief has expressed a desire to restructure outside of bankruptcy, but some experts tell the Times there's little chance of that. In "Trades News Articles"
April 12, 2009 - It needs to be said again: The NDP government in Ontario really screwed up when they absolved General Motors of meeting their pension obligations. Despite being deemed by the NDP as "too big to fail," GM has now failed. In "Trades News Articles"
April 10, 2009 - When Jim McDermott finished his last shift at the Windsor Ford plant 20 years ago, he didn't think that, at 85, he would be at risk of losing his pension. In "Trades News Articles"
As General Motors and Chrysler career down the road towards possible bankruptcy, Canadian taxpayers fuelling these cash-guzzlers might be excused for wondering where it will all end. In "Trades News Articles"
April 9, 2009 - General Motors of Canada Ltd., which touts its regional engineering centre in Oshawa as a shining example of research and development, has eliminated staff again. In "Trades News Articles"
Dalton McGuinty, the Ontario Premier, insisted Wednesday that a bankruptcy protection filing by General Motors Corp. or Chrysler LLC will not torpedo the entire auto industry in the province, the continent's largest. In "Trades News Articles"
April 7, 2009 - The Canadian government will spend up to $185-million to back warranties on vehicles sold by General Motors of Canada Ltd. and Chrysler LLC, matching an effort by the U.S. government to ensure the companies' financial troubles don't lead to a collapse in sales. In "Trades News Articles"
Despite the worst automotive slump in 26 years, General Motors is preparing to introduce a new vehicle model made in Ontario. In "Trades News Articles"
April 6, 2009 - As events have unfolded, there is the strong implication from the administration's automotive task force that Chapter 11 bankruptcy, followed by restructuring and "cleansing" of General Motors' balance sheet, is a potential scenario in the ongoing efforts to keep the giant automaker alive. In "Trades News Articles"
April 4, 2009 - Ford Motor Co.'s F-N Canadian arm won't accept a labour deal that mirrors an agreement struck by General Motors of Canada Ltd. because the package fails to go far enough in slashing "legacy" costs for retired workers, a source said yesterday. In "Trades News Articles"
Fritz Henderson, new chief executive of General Motors, is turning up the heat on the carmaker's creditors and unions, warning bankruptcy could "very well happen" unless stakeholders agree to an aggressive restructuring plan. In "Trades News Articles"
April 3, 2009 - Officials from Delphi Corp. and its former parent General Motors Corp. will meet with representatives from President Barack Obama's auto task force on Monday for talks that could get the struggling auto supplier out of bankruptcy protection. In "Trades News Articles"
April 1, 2009 - General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson said Tuesday a new labour contract with the Canadian Auto Workers is competitive and he hasn't yet decided whether he'll ask the union to reopen negotiations. In "Trades News Articles"
March 2009 Mar 31, 2009 - Statement from CAW President Ken Lewenza Regarding Canadian and U.S. Auto Restructuring Announcements. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 30, 2009 - The federal and Ontario governments have committed to provide $4-billion in short-term loans to General Motors of Canada Ltd. and Chrysler LLC, but the two companies must negotiate deeper savings from their workers and suppliers before the governments agree to a long-term restructuring plan. In "Trades News Articles"
Canada has been working daily with American officials to coordinate on an aid plan for struggling U.S. automakers and is committed to providing the companies with a share of help, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Sunday. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 29, 2009 - General Motors Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Richard Wagoner will step down immediately as part of President Barack Obama's aid plan for the automaker, a person familiar said today. In "Trades News Articles"
A new labour deal for Canadian Chrysler workers hinges on the next stage of U.S. President Barack Obama’s bailout for the North American auto industry Monday — and what kind of strings he attaches to the money. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 28, 2009 - The impasse between the CAW and Chrysler LLC over reducing the company's Canadian labour costs was expected to last the rest of the weekend, the union said Saturday. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 23, 2009 - General Motors Corp., seeking US$6-billion in aid from the federal and Ontario governments to stabilize its manufacturing operations in Canada, says a crucial labour deal it struck earlier this month with the Canadian Auto Workers union will allow it to cut crippling legacy costs by nearly $1-billion. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 18, 2009 - General Motors Corp.'s latest plan to return to profitability calls for the struggling automaker to close five more plants than it originally expected. The lingering question is which plants will be the first to go. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 17, 2009 - Ed Steers wrote a great letter to the editor on our behalf lambasting the Pelham News and Greg Weston's article entitles "Hold the hankies for GM workers". You can find the letter in it's entirety in "Your Letters".
Mar 13, 2009 - Chrysler Canada may have put itself on a collision course with the Canadian Auto Workers by demanding much deeper wage concessions than the CAW agreed to give General Motors as the automakers work to secure a government rescue package. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 12, 2009 - Members of the Canadian Auto Workers union have voted 87 per cent in favour of a new cost-cutting contract with General Motors. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 11, 2009 - Automakers operating in Canada need General Motors Canada to survive so that the automotive supply chain does not collapse, Industry Minister Tony Clement said on Wednesday. In "Trades News Articles"
General Motors' workers in Canada must unite to defend the middle class and fight a growing perception that auto industry wages are too high and that auto workers should take bigger pay cuts to save the company, union leaders say. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 9, 2009 - Ratification times for CAW members working at General Motors in St. Catharines, Oshawa, Woodstock and Windsor. In "Trades News Articles"
Jim Madden thinks the sacrifices are tough, but unavoidable. Sunday’s tentative deal between the Canadian Auto Workers and General Motors means freezes in wages, pensions and other concessions. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 8, 2009 - "Together these changes represent a major sacrifice by our active members and retirees," said Lewenza. "They will reduce active hourly labour costs by several dollars per hour, reinforcing Canada's investment advantage relative to U.S. facilities." In "Trades News Articles"
The Canadian Auto Workers union said Sunday it had reached a tentative agreement with General Motors Corp. on concessions need to qualify the company for Canadian government aid. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 6, 2009 - The Canadian Auto Workers union is bracing for concessions at General Motors but the company shouldn't be "overzealous" in any pursuit of wage and benefit cuts to stay alive, union president Ken Lewenza said. In "Trades News Articles"
When Brian Rutherford retired from his job as a logistics manager at General Motors of Canada Ltd. in 2006, he never imagined there was reason to worry about the security of his pension after more than 30 years at the company. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 5, 2009 - The Canadian Auto Workers union said on Thursday it will begin exploratory discussions with General Motors of Canada to find cost savings to help the company qualify for government loans in Canada and the United States. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 4, 2009 - As the crowds gather to watch our union and the North American automakers wrangle over cost-cutting to secure government loans, we need to step back and consider the real reason we're having this debate at all. In "Trades News Articles"
Sales of new cars and trucks fell 27.7 per cent last month in Canada compared with a year ago. And for the first time in almost 60 years, an auto maker has outsold General Motors here during a month. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 1, 2009 - Details are emerging about how General Motors Corp.'s U.S. pension funds went from a $20-billion surplus at the end of 2007 to a $12.4-billion deficit 12 months later. In "Trades News Articles"
February 2009 Feb 27, 2009 - General Motors Corp. today reported a $30.9 billion loss last year, the troubled automaker's fourth straight annual loss, as deteriorating economic and market conditions and questions about the company's viability continued. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 26, 2009 - GM facing serious financial strains, announced Tuesday that it will build the small engine for the Chevrolet Volt at an existing Flint engine plant, scrapping an expensive plan for a new facility in the beleaguered manufacturing town. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 24, 2009 - Days after General Motors Corp. outlined three possible bankruptcy scenarios, the U.S. Treasury Department acknowledged Monday that it is exploring how it might fund a court-protected bankruptcy by GM and Chrysler LLC. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 23, 2009 - GM of Canada Limited has presented their plan for viability into the future to the Canadian and the Ontario Governments. The plan in it's entirety can be downloaded at the link in "Trades News Articles"
Feb 21, 2009 - A plan unveiled Friday to restructure and revamp cash-strapped General Motors includes forging ahead with a new transmission line in St. Catharines. In "Trades News Articles"
General Motors of Canada has doubled its request to about $6 billion for public aid from the federal and Ontario governments. GM said today in a restructuring plan sent to the two governments that it is seeking a "proportional" amount to what the automaker's Detroit parent wants from Washington to stay alive. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 20, 2009 - A Swedish court approved on Friday the application by General Motors' Saab for protection from creditors under a reorganization procedure. In "Trades News Articles"
General Motors and Chrysler, which are already operating on a lifeline of public money in the United States, will probably seek billions of dollars more from Canadian taxpayers today, senior politicians and analysts say. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 19, 2009 - Steering General Motors Canada out of its financial crisis will require “shared sacrifice,” the cash-strapped company says. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 18, 2009 - General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC laid out in stark terms Tuesday the costs of a bankruptcy filing amid the mounting financial woes of the domestic automakers. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 17, 2009 - Canadians reliant on the auto industry anxiously await news of the bailout plans to be submitted by General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC today in return for federal aid from the U.S. government. In "Trades News Articles"
Just as GM and Chrysler filed viability plans with the U.S. Treasury today, the UAW said it has reached tentative agreements with each of Detroit’s automakers to modify its 2007 national contract in order to help the companies survive a severe economic recession and meet the terms of their federal loans. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 16, 2009 - U.S. President Barack Obama will name a task force today to oversee the remaking of the U.S. auto industry, as GM and Chrysler press for late concessions to work into turnaround plans that are due to the government on Tuesday. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 15, 2009 - Talks between General Motors and the United Auto Workers were set to resume on Sunday with just two days to go before a deadline for the struggling automaker to submit a new restructuring plan to the U.S. government. In "Trades News Articles"
Talks between the United Auto Workers and General Motors Corp. central to a turnaround plan for the struggling automaker have broken down over the issue of retiree health-care costs, a person briefed on the talks said yesterday. In "Trades News Articles"
The Federal Industry Minister Tony Clement has suggested that Canadian auto workers will have to make sacrifices to save their industry. He insists that the auto industry won’t survive without a reduction in labour costs. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 14, 2009 - "General Motors of Canada is in discussions with the Canadian and Ontario governments concerning assistance to complete our restructuring plans in Canada," GM spokeswoman Patty Faith said in an e-mail. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 13, 2009 - The clock is ticking for local union leaders to make changes or face the reality that the Flint Truck Assembly plant -- along with thousands of jobs -- will be gone. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 12, 2009 - Ken Lewenza was sitting by his phone in Toronto on Wednesday, waiting for calls that weren't forthcoming from General Motors, Chrysler and the federal government. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 10, 2009 - GM confirmed this morning that it will eliminate 10,000 salaried positions around the world before the end of this year. That will take GM's global white collar staff from 73,000 down to 63,000. In "Trades News Articles"
General Motors Corp. will cut one of two shifts at its Flint South engine plant in April, indefinitely laying off 150 workers, the company said Monday. The plant makes 3.6-litre direct-injected V-6 engines for GM's large crossover vehicles, the Saturn Outlook, Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 8, 2009 - General Motors Corp. must close plants and announce deeper job cuts as part of the cost-cutting plans it and Chrysler LLC are to submit to the U.S. Treasury in 10 days, industry experts say, but continued deterioration in the economy could still drive the automakers into bankruptcy. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 7, 2009 - That was around 2 p.m., almost the time he would typically stir from sleep and prepare for yet another overnight shift piecing together Impalas at the General Motors plant. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 4, 2009 - The president of the Canadian Auto Workers says he doesn't think it's likely that General Motors will close its operations in Canada. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 3, 2009 - Leaders of the Canadian Auto Workers union are using increasingly conciliatory language as they await word from General Motors on the fate of the company's Canadian operations. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 1, 2009 - While most people see U.S. President Barack Obama's order telling the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider its decision that banned California's tougher greenhouse-gas emissions as a victory for environmentalists, I think it's more likely to lead to a compromise that California and the automakers could live with. In "Trades News Articles"
January 2009 Jan 30, 2009 - The Canadian Auto Workers union said on Thursday it was open to negotiating new wage and benefit deals with embattled U.S. automakers, opening the door to concessions less than a year into three-year contracts. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 29, 2009 - Let's imagine, for a moment, how different the public debate would be today if it had been unions that had caused the current economic turmoil. In "Trades News Articles"
The controversial jobs bank program at GM in the U.S. will be suspended indefinitely Feb. 2, moving 1,600 UAW represented GM employees out of a system that had GM paying 85 percent of their wages for not doing their jobs. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 28, 2009 - The 2009 Federal Budget: Preliminary Canadian Labour Congress Analysis. What we wanted - and - What we got. In "Trades News Articles"
The Canadian Labour Congress says that the federal budget doesn't go far enough to stimulate the economy and put money into the pockets of Canadians who are innocent victims of the economic recession. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 27, 2009 - Jim Freeman had his fingers crossed Tuesday, hoping the new federal budget would do something to even up how employment insurance (EI) benefits are doled out across Canada. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 26, 2009 - General Motors of Canada Ltd. still needs the $3-billion in loans offered by Ottawa and Ontario, but the cash crisis it faced late last year has been alleviated by loans to its U.S. parent company and actions it has taken to conserve cash. In "Trades News Articles"
At GM's Delta Township plant near Lansing, about 1,200 workers will be laid off indefinitely March 30 after the automaker eliminates one shift. Workers, who produce the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook, will alternate on two shifts from Feb. 2 to March 27 before a shift is eliminated. In "Trades News Articles"
As negotiations for concessions start at reeling General Motors and Chrysler, the Canadian Auto Workers says workers at assembly plants here hold a labour cost edge over their union and non-union counterparts in the United States. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 25, 2009 - The economic meltdown is far from over and before it ends, there could be as many as 400,000 more job losses across the country, according to Canadian Auto Workers economist Jim Stanford. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 24, 2009 - General Motors Corp. is planning to make an announcement on Monday regarding further production cuts at its assembly plants, a source familiar with the plans said today. In "Trades News Articles"
The Canadian Labour Congress is accusing the Harper Conservatives of deliberately short-changing Canadians with yesterday's "official leak" that the federal government would announce a $34 billion deficit in next Tuesday's budget speech. In "Trades News Articles"
Toyota Motor Corp. is considering reducing the number of its regular employees, mainly at factories, in North America and Britain, through a voluntary retirement program to combat rapidly falling demand amid the global economic slump, industry sources said Friday. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 23, 2009 - Ken Lewenza, the new president of the Canadian Auto Workers union, who has relocated to Canada's largest city from his hometown of Windsor, would be ecstatic to see more cars come out of assembly plants in southern Ontario - and car parts emerge from other facilities across the country. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 20, 2009 - The Canadian government is requiring automakers to cut wages as part of a condition of the $3.2 billion (U.S.) loan from the Canadian and Ontario governments to the Canadian subsidiaries of Chrysler LLC and General Motors Corp. In "Trades News Articles"
Fiat SpA of Italy and Chrysler LLC and its owner Cerberus Capital Management LP announced plans Tuesday to form a global alliance that could put Fiat in control eventually of the Auburn Hills automaker. In "Trades News Articles"
December 2008 Dec 30, 2008 - The U.S. Treasury will inject up to $6 billion into GMAC as part of a plan to shore up the finances of GM’s lending arm and the U.S. auto industry, the Bush administration said Monday. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 29, 2008 - Perhaps the ugliest fallout from the crisis gripping the automotive industry in Ontario is the mean-spirited sentiment that it is somehow the fault of workers. Particularly the Canadian Auto Workers. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 25, 2008 - The U.S. Federal Reserve today granted a request from GMAC to become a bank holding company, a designation that helps General Motors Corp.’s lending arm avert a potential bankruptcy, significantly improves GM’s chances of survival and provided an immediate sense of relief to auto dealers. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 20, 2008 - Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Premier Dalton McGuinty have announced a $4 billion bailout for General Motors Canada and Chrysler Canada. In "Trades News Articles"
U.S. President Bush's bailout plan contains some "targets" the government wants the automakers and the United Auto Workers union to achieve before agreeing to a bailout loan. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 19, 2008 - Saying he has to “shield the American people from a harsh economic blow at a vulnerable time,” President George W. Bush this morning announced plans to immediately extend $13.4 billion to struggling Detroit automakers, adding that in normal times it is a step he would be unlikely to take. In "Trades News Articles"
The Bush administration said Thursday that bankruptcy was one of the options it was considering as part of direct aid to General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, raising fresh questions about the companies' prospects. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 18, 2008 - General Motors Corp., working to conserve cash as it pursues immediate financial aid from the White House, today said it has put on hold construction plans for a new Flint plant slated to build the engines for two of its most anticipated new cars: the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle and the Chevrolet Cruze. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 17, 2008 - Ontario would lose 517,000 jobs within five years if the Big Three automakers went out of business, according to a new provincial report. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 16, 2008 - Asian automakers, especially Toyota Motor Corp., the world's second-largest automaker, have said that aid should be given to the Big Three. Apparently, these overseas automakers want their competitors, the Big Three, saved. They have got their reasons. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 14, 2008 - The U.S. Treasury Department on Sunday was asking detailed questions and studying the books of automakers while working on an auto rescue package of up to $15 billion to prevent General Motors and Chrysler from collapse. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 13, 2008 - Industry Minister Tony Clement says federal and Ontario governments have agreed on a proportional auto aid plan worth close to $3.3 billion to bail out the Canadian auto industry. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 12, 2008 - A $14 billion (U.S.) emergency bailout for U.S. automakers collapsed in the Senate Thursday night after the United Auto Workers refused to accede to Republican demands for swift wage cuts. In "Trades News Articles"
Labour, lawmakers and the auto industry bargained in unprecedented private talks at the Capitol Thursday night, claiming progress in a common struggle to salvage a $14 billion government bailout of the nation's Big Three carmakers. In "Trades News Articles"
Lawmakers and auto industry executives were trying to craft a compromise $14-billion rescue for General Motors and Chrysler Thursday afternoon, but it was unclear whether the gulf among the sides could be bridged by any deal. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 10, 2008 - U.S. Congressional leaders put the final touches on a $14-billion rescue for GM and Chrysler today, as Democrats planned to hold a House vote today and top Senate Republicans raised several objections, with some vowing to filibuster. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 9, 2008 - Chrysler Canada may close its two assembly plants in Canada unless the Canadian and Ontario governments provide $1.6 billion in emergency aid, the Globe and Mail reported, citing a restructuring plan filed last week. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 8, 2008 - As lawmakers drew closer to granting $17 billion to keep GM and Chrysler alive, key disputes remained over how much power the U.S. government would claim for itself, whether GM Chairman Rick Wagoner would be ousted, and whether automakers would be forced to drop lawsuits against state global warming rules. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 7, 2008 - Detroit's automakers may bear little resemblance to themselves by the time Congress and the Bush administration are done, with conditions touching every part of their business. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 6, 2008 - General Motors of Canada Ltd. is seeking a rescue package of at least $2-billion from Ottawa and Ontario, but the figure could rise to $3-billion if conditions in the auto sector worsen. In "Trades News Articles"
And now they drive back to Detroit. The second money-begging pilgrimage to Washington by the CEOs of the three U.S.-based automakers went a lot better than their first vist two weeks ago. In "Trades News Articles"
General Motors has announced it will be cutting the third shift at the Oshawa car plant Feb. 9, resulting in the layoff of 700 workers. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 5, 2008 - Read the Detroit Free Press’ blog of Thursday's Senate Banking Committee hearing with the Detroit Three automakers, who are seeking $34 billion in financial aid to survive the economic downturn. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 4, 2008 - UAW President Ron Gettelfinger today said the union will suspend the jobs bank and delay the 2010 payment into a retiree health-care trust. In "Trades News Articles"
Dec 3, 2008 - Chrysler LLC's November auto sales fell a staggering 47 percent and General Motors Corp.'s November vehicle sales slid 41 percent, the companies reported this afternoon. In "Trades News Articles"
GM's plan asks Congress for up to $18 billion in emergency financial aid and, in return, offers to eliminate 30,000 jobs, shutter nine plants, reopen the UAW contract and either shrink, sell or possibly kill three additional brands. In "Trades News Articles"
There is something happening in this country that disturbs me. The policies of the Conservative government are allowing industry in this country to die. In "Your Letters"
Dec 2, 2008 - A letter written to Lorrie Goldstein of the Toronto Sun by Ed Steers after she wrote an article lambasting General Motors. In "Your Letters"
November 2008 Nov 28, 2008 - CAW President Ken Lewenza said that even if all the unionized auto workers in Canada, as well as management, were to work for free for an entire year, it would only offset the Detroit Big Three's average 2008 losses for 11 days. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 28, 2008 - The made-in-the U.S. credit crisis that is adversely affecting the auto industry is spilling over into Canada where pressure mounts for stakeholders from the government to the Canadian Auto Workers union to be part of the solution. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 27, 2008 - Mainstream media covering the financial woes of the auto industry seem fond of noting that domestic makers produce “gas guzzlers”. It’s generally understood that the hapless American car builders couldn’t build an efficient car if their lives depended on it, which they seemingly do. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 26, 2008 - You've probably read or heard a lot about overpaid American autoworkers--in particular, the fact that the average hourly employee of the Big Three makes $70 per hour. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 24, 2008 - Workers at the CAMI Automotive Inc. assembly plant have voted to share the pain. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 23, 2008 - The board at General Motors has reviewed the possibility of bankruptcy, even as the cash-strapped automaker pursues congressional aid to help it survive the global credit crisis and the worst automotive sales environment in 25 years. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 22, 2008 - General Motors Corp. told workers Friday morning it will make further production cuts at several factories, according to people briefed on the discussions. In "Trades News Articles"
The UAW is negotiating the possible elimination of its controversial jobs bank and is considering other concessions to help Detroit's automakers win low-cost loans from Congress, people familiar with negotiations said late Thursday. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 21, 2008 - General Motors Corp. is ready to respond with detailed plans that will address Congressional concerns about the automaker's viability and show the automaker can survive and pay back taxpayer-funded loans, CEO Rick Wagoner said Thursday. In "Trades News Articles"
Congress kicked the auto industry’s request for a $25-billion loan back to Detroit Thursday, demanding more information by Dec. 2 about how the companies would use the money to survive before considering any bill. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 20, 2008 - The Harper government is promising aid to the beleaguered auto sector as part of a five-point plan it hopes will protect Canada from the global economic crisis - and insulate the minority administration from political fallout. In "Trades News Articles"
General Motors of Canada is sitting on a pension shortfall of $4.5-billion, according to the company. Industry sources indicate that Ford's plan is about 90% funded, and Chrysler's plan is likely fully funded. In "Trades News Articles"
Detroit's Big Three CEOs returned to the hot seat Wednesday, fending off tough questions about how long they can survive without government help during a House hearing. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 19, 2008 - Ontario's Economic Development Minister says risk management will be on his mind when he heads to the U.S. this week to learn more about how the U.S. government intends to help the struggling North American auto industry. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 18, 2008 - The debate over aid to the Detroit-based automakers is awash with half-truths and misrepresentations that are endlessly repeated by everyone from members of Congress to journalists. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 17, 2008 - Congressional Democrats and the Bush administration agree that Detroit's Big Three need and deserve federal help, but they don't agree on how much money the automakers should be given, or where it will come from. In "Trades News Articles"
Cash-strapped General Motors Corp. will sell its entire stake in Suzuki Motor Corp. for 22.37 billion yen ($230 million), the automaker's latest move to stay afloat while awaiting a decision on government aid for the industry. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 15, 2008 - General Motors of Canada has assured the 1,300 employees at Windsor Transmission there are no plans to move up the announced closure of the plant earlier than June of 2010. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 14, 2008 - The federal government is holding informal talks with Washington to co-ordinate financial aid for struggling Big Three automakers, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 12, 2008 - Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty will meet next week with auto industry officials to discuss the "significant" bailout package he's seeking for them from Ottawa. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 11, 2008 - Bad news kept piling up for General Motors today as its shares plunged to their lowest point in 60 years and some industry analysts predicted the automaker would collapse without a government bailout. In "Trades News Articles"
With GM dropping its $2.5 billion bomb on Friday, analysts, brokers and the public at large were waiting until today to see where the General's stock price would end up. At the end of the day, it's hovering around $3.36 a share, up from this morning where it hit $3.04, or four pennies away from its lowest rate in over 60 years. In "Trades News Articles"
Close observers of the tableau presented at President-elect Barack Obama's Friday press conference saw unequivocal evidence that help from the U.S. Government is coming to the Detroit-based auto industry. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 8, 2008 - General Motors Friday announced temporary shutdowns and plans to indefinitely lay off about 3,600 workers at 10 plants beginning early next year. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 7, 2008 - General Motors Corp. and Cerberus Capital Management LP have called off talks about a possible deal to transfer Chrysler LLC's automotive operations to GM. In "Trades News Articles"
General Motors Corp., teetering on the brink of insolvency, reported a net loss of $2.5 billion and burned through $6.9 billion in cash in the three-month period ended Sept. 30. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 6, 2008 - The U.S. Department of Energy unveiled interim rules to oversee its $25 billion auto loan program late Wednesday, which could allow automakers and suppliers to win loans before the end of the year. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 5, 2008 - Barack Obama's victory in the presidential race will give labor unions and the embattled U.S. auto industry a strong ally in the White House, and likely will put pressure on oil and gas producers and pharmaceutical companies. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 4, 2008 - General Motors' October U.S. sales plunged 45 percent, Chrysler's sales tumbled 35 percent and Ford's dropped 30 percent, as low consumer confidence and tight credit combined to scare customers away from showrooms. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 3, 2008 - General Motors Corp. merger talks with Chrysler LLC may intensify this week as the companies wait to see whether the U.S. will provide financial aid to help complete the deal, people familiar with the matter said. In "Trades News Articles"
Nov 1, 2008 - Talks between the Renault-Nissan alliance and Cerberus Capital Management LP have stopped as both sides acknowledged Cerberus's preference to conclude a deal for Chrysler LLC with General Motors Corp., according to sources familiar with the situation. In "Trades News Articles"
Five questions for Ken Lewenza: National president of the Canadian Autoworkers Union. In "Trades News Articles"
October 2008 Oct 31, 2008 - The U.S. Treasury Department, armed with a $700-billion fund to help salvage the economy, is no longer talking to automakers about possible aid, further complicating efforts by General Motors to seek help for a merger with Chrysler, the Free Press was told Thursday. In "Trades News Articles"
There is a chance that there could be an agreement between General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC by Tuesday that would result in half of Chrysler’s assembly plants closing and 24,000 lost jobs, Kimberly Rodriguez, principal of Grant Thornton’s automotive practice, said today. In "Trades News Articles"
Oct 30, 2008 - General Motors Corp. and Cerberus have resolved key issues over a deal for the Detroit automaker to acquire Chrysler LLC, but are still trying to hammer out financing, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday. In "Trades News Articles"
Oct 28, 2008 - Ontario is keeping a close watch on an apparent request by General Motors for a $10-billion rescue package from the U.S. government to aid in its purchase of Chrysler. In "Trades News Articles"
Oct 27, 2008 - Moody's Investors Service on Monday cut its rating on General Motors Corp deeper into junk territory on the expectation that the automaker's liquidity will continue to erode into 2009 despite any benefit from the U.S. government's $25 billion low-cost loan program. In "Trades News Articles"
The U.S. Treasury Department is considering how to best provide financial assistance to facilitate a possible merger between General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC, a source familiar with the government's thinking told Reuters on Monday. In "Trades News Articles"
Oct 24, 2008 - General Motors Corp. will begin involuntary layoffs of its salaried and contract workforce beginning late this year and will reduce the benefits available to those who remain, its top executives wrote in a note to its executives. In "Trades News Articles"
Oct 23, 2008 - General Motors Corp. is exploring a possible sale of its global independent aftermarket parts business, ACDelco, in yet another move aimed at raising cash and cutting costs, the automaker said today. In "Trades News Articles"
Oct 22, 2008 - General Motors is looking for a large investment from outside investors as a possible alternative to a deal with Chrysler LLC, the Financial Times reported on its website on Tuesday. In "Trades News Articles"
Oct 21, 2008 - The possibility of General Motors acquiring Chrysler raises the spectre of "further significant downsizing" in Canada and a car assembly plant in Brampton, could be the first to go, says Canadian Auto Workers president Ken Lewenza. In "Trades News Articles"
General Motors Corp has detailed a plan to slash costs at Chrysler LLC but initial attempts to secure financing for the controversial merger have been rebuffed, raising new doubts about whether it can be completed without government aid. In "Trades News Articles"
Oct 19, 2008 - The possibility of a General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC merger has encountered stiff opposition from organized labour around the world, concerned about the possibility of job losses from a combined auto company. In "Trades News Articles"
Oct 11, 2008 - General Motors Corp. faces a series of hard choices should the U.S. economy continue to struggle for the next few months. With cash at a premium, here are some measures GM might be forced to consider before it turns to bankruptcy. In "Trades News Articles"
General Motors Corp. is in talks with Cerberus Capital Management LP about a possible merger with Chrysler LLC, a person familiar with the matter said late Friday. In "Trades News Articles"
Oct 8, 2008 - The Stephen Harper Conservatives offered more money to the auto industry yesterday - following financing packages for Ford and General Motors unveiled days before the campaign started. But $200-million is likely to do little to help auto companies and parts makers reach industry targets that his government supports. In "Trades News Articles"
Oct 7, 2008 - General Motors Corp.'s European unit plans to reduce production by about 40,000 vehicles by the end of the year as credit-market turmoil deflates demand, and is suspending operations at all plants in the region this month. In "Trades News Articles"
Oct 6, 2008 - General Motors has scheduled overtime for the rest of the year at its Lordstown complex. In "Trades News Articles"
Oct 1, 2008 - U.S. President Bush signed a $634 billion spending bill Tuesday that includes funding for $25 billion in low-cost government loans for the auto industry. In "Trades News Articles"
September 2008 Sept 29, 2008 - President Bush is expected to approve $25 billion in loans for American automakers after the Senate approved the measure overwhelmingly on Saturday. In "Trades News Articles"
Sept 26, 2008 - J.D. Power and Associates will present its prestigious Founder’s Award to the General Motors Car Assembly Plant in Oshawa, Ontario today, Friday September 26. The award signifies the plant’s long-standing commitment to producing high-quality vehicles. In "Trades News Articles"
Sept 25, 2008 - General Motors Corp. is expected to announce that it will build a new factory in Flint, Mich., that will make four-cylinder engines for the Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car. In "Trades News Articles"
Sept 19, 2008 - Younger General Motors workers will be able to keep their jobs because of the large number of buyouts accepted at a soon-to-be shuttered truck plant in Oshawa, Ont., but the Canadian Auto Workers union said Wednesday the solution is nothing more than a "bandage on a very, very deep wound." In "Trades News Articles"
Sept 18, 2008 - Henniges Automotive of Welland is shedding more than 200 jobs before the end of November and remaining unionized employees will face a three-week shutdown at Christmas time. In "Trades News Articles"
Sept 8, 2008 - General Motors has confirmed it will invest $245 million in a new transmission line in the Garden City — but local union officials aren’t dancing in the streets yet. In "Trades News Articles"
General Motors of Canada Ltd. will invest another $290 million in the reeling manufacturing cities of St. Catharines and Oshawa. In "Trades News Articles"
Sept 7, 2008 - A new transmission line guaranteeing 350 manufacturing jobs for the Garden City is a go, said General Motors on Saturday. Vice-president David Paterson said General Motors Canada has received letters of agreement from federal and provincial governments pledging a combined $140 million to new projects in St. Catharines and Oshawa. In "Trades News Articles"
Sept 6, 2008 - The Harper government has struck an election campaign-eve deal with General Motors of Canada Ltd. that requires the auto maker to build a hybrid car in Oshawa, Ont., invest $245-million in a plant in St. Catharines, Ont., and undertake leading-edge environmental research at its Canadian engineering centre. In "Trades News Articles"
Sept 4, 2008 - If there is a big announcement coming, no one seems to know about it. For two days, reports from national media have put a federal funding announcement for a new General Motors transmission line in St. Catharines just days away. In "Trades News Articles"
Sept 3, 2008 - The Harper government will move to shore up its economic credentials in hard-hit and vote-rich Ontario today by doling out cash to key Detroit auto makers just days before an expected election call. In "Trades News Articles"
They didn’t see it coming. But the bombshell dropped on stunned John Deere workers is sending aftershocks they will continue to feel for weeks and months to come. Some 800 workers will lose their jobs when the company moves south by the end of 2009, and Welland’s oldest and largest industrial employer ceases to exist. In "Trades News Articles"
Sept 1, 2008 - Canada's economic evolution in recent years has demonstrated two personalities. For business it's been all sunshine and optimism. Business-friendly policies and record corporate profits (the highest ever as a share of GDP) spark celebrations in the boardrooms. In "Trades News Articles"
August 2008 Aug 26, 2008 - General Motors Corp. in Flint received millions in tax breaks Monday that will help the company build a new engine plant for the Chevrolet Volt, the automaker's extended range electric vehicle. In "Trades News Articles"
Aug 23, 2008 - Would John McCain or Barack Obama bail out General Motors Corp. or Ford Motor Co. should the shadow of bankruptcy fall upon them? In "Trades News Articles"
Aug 14, 2008 - After first mating its six-speed Hydramatic automatic transmission to a 2.4 liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine in the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ Spring Edition earlier this year, General Motors will spread the combination to a handful of other vehicles for 2009. In "Trades News Articles"
Aug 5, 2008 - The auto maker's board, comprised of 14 members with Mr. Wagoner as chairman, met Monday and Tuesday. The meetings were part of the board's annual product review and included presentations from top company executives. In "Trades News Articles"
Aug 1, 2008 - General Motors announced a staggering $15.5-billion second-quarter loss this morning, much of it from onetime, noncash costs from its sweeping plan to respond to high gas prices and the credit crunch that have produced the worst U.S. auto market in more than a decade. In "Trades News Articles"
July 2008 |
