GM CLOSING IN OSHAWA -----N F

[npt1]

Has anyone heard anything regarding this???

CHCH news just announced GM is closing all Oshawa operations.

[pikeyminnow]

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/general-motors-to-shut-down-all-operations-in-oshawa-1.4191946

[woodenboater]

this is HUUGE if true and I imagine people in Ingersoll etc are very worried as well. Fingers crossed it's not the entire operations.

[npt1]

CP 24 News says  2500 jobs and 300 salary positions are going.

[DRIFTER_016]

Thank our fearless leader in Ottawa for this.

Won't be the last I'm afraid.

[Fisherman]

You can only subsidize so much, if it's not financially viable them it should be let go.  When you see the prices of vehicles it's no wonder.  

[chris.brock]

weird timing, Trump has backed off tariffs, NAFTA is sorted out, CDN dollar is pretty low???

before your next purchase you GM guys should consider the mantra "you don't build here, we don't buy here"

 

[Terry]

1 minute ago, chris.brock said:

 

before your next purchase you GM guys should consider the mantra "you don't build here, we don't buy here"

 

100%

[Jmeyer]

Had a chance to talk with a well seasoned economist a few years back and I asked him what his fears were going forward in Ontario concerning the direction of the economy and he said Ontario has never had cheap taxes or a cheap work force but what we did have was cheap electricity and he feared the escalating power costs would kill existing manufacturing and potential new investments

[woodenboater]

34 minutes ago, chris.brock said:

 

before your next purchase you GM guys should consider the mantra "you don't build here, we don't buy here"

 

 bang on ! 

[spincast]

Sources inside the government have confirmed that a General Motors plant in Oshawa is set to close.

It's unclear how many employees will lose their jobs, since this is part of a larger global restructuring plan, the sources said.

In a statement, Unifor, the union representing auto workers at the plant, said they have not heard "complete details of the overall announcement" but were told that no cars are set to be assembled at the plant past December 2019.

"Based on commitments made during 2016 contract negotiations, Unifor does not accept this announcement and is immediately calling on GM to live up to the spirit of that agreement," the statement reads. 

The union said it would be holding talks with General Motors tomorrow.

"We have no news or comment tonight and won't be commenting to others on speculation," a spokesperson for GM said on Sunday.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/gm-oshawa-plant-1.4920241

[OhioFisherman]

https://www.businessinsider.com/mexico-labor-wages-and-global-automakers-2017-10

In Mexico, $2 per hour workers make $40,000 SUVs | Financial Post

It's not just GM, why pay an American or Canadian 20+ bucks an hour when you can get cheap help?

The Largest Employer in Every State - 24/7 Wall St.

[SirCranksalot]

Isn't the new Nafta supposed to sort out some of the diff in the auto sector between Mexico and the US and Can?

[OhioFisherman]

LOL Sir, supposed may be the key word?

New NAFTA: U.S., Canada and Mexico agree to USMCA - The Washington Post

[Garnet]

In the 2009 financial melt gov lent GM 25 billion for guaranteed product to 2018.

GM paid back 25B a year early. And hello it's 2018.

GM Oshawa has been stuck building cars for the last 15 years a declining market.

They where denied opportunity to bid on suv a least a couple times.

It's the 3000 jobs plus 7 jobs feeding that plant so start at 21k.

Then this washes threw 3-5 teachers 1 lawyers office a cleaning company the list is endless.  

 

[farsider]

The cynical among us (eg. me) , would say this is just another ploy by GM to shakedown the Federal and provincial gov'ts for more "investments".

 

An election year for the federals.  

 

Sad to toy with workers lives this way, plus all those tied to GM jobs.

[Jds63]

In their hayday there was 30,000 workers now its 2,500 left in the plant.

I worked there for just under 20 yrs in the office, was let go a few years back (part of a group of 60 salaried) in one of many downsizing efforts that has been going on for a long time.

I didn't sulk and blame anyone I just moved on and found other employment. I don't blame GM for my job loss, we all knew where things were heading … companies have to adapt and change and so do we, its way the things are now … no more loyalty to 1 company and job for life mentality. Manufacturing in Ontario is a sector that has lost so many jobs in the last decade and will continue unless governments make manufacturing investment attractive.

Many of my friends still there all have at least 25 yrs or more and are all being offered packages. They are also offering it to 18,000 workers in the US as well. They want a younger workforce …

Won't get into if GM owes anybody anything debate…  but we are in an era of massive tech change for vehicles. Its not just other car companies but they are now competing against Google, Apple and TESLA.

[crappieperchhunter]

I moved to Oshawa in 1983 and worked in a printing plant right next to the GM south plant. In 30 plus years  I have witnessed it's slow painful death.  Really surprised it has actually taken this long.  Lotsa finger pointing going on, blaming the union, blaming the company, blaming the government.  All valid points. There is no singular group to blame IMHO. It's just the reality of manufacturing in Canada in general right now and one magic pill isn't going to fix it either. I feel badly for those affected and wish them the best in moving on.

[OhioFisherman]

Ford motor has a factory complex in my area, engine plants 1&2 and the Cleveland casting plant, all on one piece of land. Back in it's hey day in the 1970's there was like 12 - 13 thousand people working there, it now has like 2-3 thousand. Chevy and Chrysler also had plants in my area, a common theme for all of them was tax incentives to expand or modernize and keep those jobs in their communities, sort of like blackmail?

They were given tax breaks, and to pay for them the communities created city income taxes or regional income taxes, the jobs may disappear, but those taxes never do! So now it has become give us tax breaks or we move production to a foreign land? and how many of those workers can afford to buy what they are producing?

A lot of reasons though, pollution controls, robotics and others, it cheaper for them to build a new plant in a 3rd? world country than to build here.

[grimsbylander]

Offshoring manufacturing has affected every market segment being made in North America. Why does anyone expect it would be different for automakers? It's an unfortunate circumstance but the reality of today. The big three are faced with a decision to either move more offshore or go under because who can afford to buy vehicles that are manufactured 100% in N. America? Or better yet, how can those vehicles compete on price with those made offshore? It's a lose lose either way. We are becoming a service nation more everyday. 

[SirCranksalot]

Not everybody can work at walmart or Tims. Where will people find the $ to spend there? 

[SirCranksalot]

14 hours ago, OhioFisherman said:

LOL Sir, supposed may be the key word?

New NAFTA: U.S., Canada and Mexico agree to USMCA - The Washington Post

Thx---Always a dark cloud behind a politician's silver lining!!!

[grimsbylander]

43 minutes ago, SirCranksalot said:

Not everybody can work at walmart or Tims. Where will people find the $ to spend there? 

That's the easy question with the very difficult answer. It used to be that N/A had the technological and intellectual advantage over offshore competitors; with the exception of western/central Europe of course. Now that have leveled and mainly due to the investment made by N/A businesses. They fed information and money into those countries in order to gain advantage in home markets at the expense of manufacturing. Once that happens you can't un-ring the bell. 

[Toronto_Angler]

Its the shift in the economy. We've moved from a manufacturing economy to an information based economy. Has happened all through history and is part of progress. Yes its always terrible when people lose their jobs but unemployment is low and companies like Microsoft announce investments and job creating into the ontario economy to offset the manufacturing losses. 

[JoePa]

Well let me tell you something - you ain't seen nothing yet - wait until the full force of Artificial Intelligence and more robotics take over - all these manufacturing type jobs and manual jobs will be toast - so what do you do about it? - get some kind of skill that is not easily duplicated