Skilled Trades Association, CAW Local 199 St. Catharines (General Motors Unit)

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Skilled Trades Association

2006 Update Archive

December 2006

• Dec 28, 2006 - After five consecutive years of record vehicle sales, global volumes are expected to be flat next year, according to a report released Thursday by Scotia Economics. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Dec 25, 2006 - We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday.
  
  Where General Motors Corp. once boasted of its size and strength in the U.S. market, GM has now turned an increasingly critical eye on the weaknesses that threaten its fledgling turnaround. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Dec 24, 2006 - In preparation for the end of the Cobalt contract in 2008, United Auto Workers Local 1112 members this week received a letter from its leadership detailing what they will have to do to be competitive to build a new General Motors car in Lordstown. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Dec 21, 2006 - The redesigned Chevrolet Silverado was named 2007 Truck of the Year by Motor Trend magazine, an award that could increase the already strong sales. of the popular vehicle. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Dec 14, 2006 - Dana Canada is closing it's Thorold frame plant, leaving another 125 people jobless and the fate of the autoparts giant's neighbouring machining facility shrouded in uncertainty. Merry Christmas... In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Dec 12, 2006 - General Motors has told Saturn and GMC dealers not to sell its new Outlook and Acadia SUVs until it fixes a problem that could lead to extra engine vibration on cold days. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Dec 11, 2006 - Even on its own, GM looks much better now than it did last year, when it lost $10.6 billion. The automaker drove home its reasons for cautious optimism at a media event. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Dec 9, 2006 - Even as buyouts are pushing UAW membership below 500,000 -- one-third its historic peak -- Wall Street analysts said Thursday that General Motors Corp. is looking to further reduce its U.S. hourly workforce before 2010. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Dec 6, 2006 - General Motors Corp., the world's biggest automaker, said it will cut production in January at three plants that build large sport-utility vehicles because demand has slowed. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Dec 1, 2006 - Billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian's investment firm on Thursday said it had cut its stake in GM by half with a second large sale, prompting speculation about whether the activist investor had moved to sell his entire stake in the automaker. In "Trades News Articles"

November 2006

• Nov 29, 2006 - Ford Motor Co. announced today that about 38,000 hourly production workers -- almost half of the automaker's U.S. factory work force -- have accepted buyouts or early retirement offers. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  CAW leader Buzz Hargrove says a tour of the Far East has convinced him that China will completely overrun the North American vehicle industry within two decades unless governments take action to thwart a potential flood of imports. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Nov 26, 2006 - Stung by criticism that it conspired to kill the electric car, GM is preparing to detail its commitment to new fuel-saving technologies, including new electric vehicles, according to people familiar with the automaker's plans. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Nov 24, 2006 - General Motors Corp. may be bowing out of the minivan business. Faced with a steep drop in demand for the family vehicles, GM confirmed Tuesday that it has scrapped plans to build new minivan models that would have debuted as early as 2009 under Chevrolet, Saturn and other nameplates. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Nov 23, 2006 - General Motors Corp.'s stock tumbled 5 percent Wednesday after dissident shareholder Kirk Kerkorian reduced his stake in the automaker by 14 million shares. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Nov 21, 2006 - Malcolm Bricklin’s ambitious plan to revolutionize the U.S. car industry with an affordable lineup of models from China’s Chery Automobile has been derailed. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Nov 20, 2006 - General Motors Corp. executives and United Auto Workers officials said an exceptional amount of teamwork enabled the company's Fort Wayne Assembly Plant to start production ahead of schedule on the GMT900 last week. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Nov 15, 2006 - After months of delays, President Bush met Tuesday with the chief executive officers of Detroit's Big Three automakers and told them he wants a domestic auto industry that "is as vibrant and solid as possible." In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Nov 14, 2006 - Chevrolet's Impala is going rear-wheel drive in 2009.General Motors sources say the next Impala will share a rwd platform with the upcoming Chevrolet Camaro, which will be built late in 2008 in Oshawa. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Nov 08, 2006 - General Motors Corp. said Tuesday that its third-quarter loss was $24 million less than previously reported because of previously unreported loan sales by its financing arm, which is being sold as part of its North American restructuring. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Nov 06, 2006 - An interview with Steve Saleen by CarCrazy.com Assistant Editor John Breaux reveals that Saleen will likely be working with General Motors on future products, including the new Camaro. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Nov 05, 2006 - Something's up at GM design, and the evidence was as easy to find as a craps table in Sin City last week. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Nov 03, 2006 - Helped by new models and falling gas prices that sparked truck sales, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. sprang back last month from dismal year-earlier sales, but Chrysler posted a small retreat. In "Trades News Articles"

October 2006

• Oct 27, 2006 - GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner has been riding high with Wall Street this year: GM stock is up almost 80 percent and talk of bankruptcy has receded after billions of dollars in cost cuts. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Oct 25, 2006 - General Motors Corp. posted a smaller $115 million loss for the third quarter Wednesday as it began to reap the benefits of its turnaround plan. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Oct 24, 2006 - General Motors Corp. stock hit a 52-week high Monday, closing up 5.6% at $35.19 a share, as investors looked toward what is expected to be a strong earnings report from the automaker Wednesday. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Oct 19, 2006 - General Motors Corp. is laying defenses against possible moves by disgruntled shareholder Kirk Kerkorian to exert control over the company or its board, according to people familiar with the situation. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Oct 12, 2006 - General Motors is nearing an agreement to provide financial aid to the bankrupt auto-parts maker Delphi, in a move to avoid a walkout at the former GM unit that would cripple the automaker's production. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Oct 8, 2006 - To suggest, as Jerry York did in his exasperated resignation from GM's board, that the automaker's product line-up has hit its "sweet spot" -- it's all downhill from here, folks -- betrays a profound misunderstanding and underestimation of the vehicles GM has coming. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Oct 7, 2006 - Jerome York, who represents General Motors Corp.'s largest stockholder, resigned from GM's board of directors today in protest over the board's passive approach to the failed Renault-Nissan alliance. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Oct 6, 2006 - Paris may be a city for lovers, but it is where General Motors broke up with Renault and Nissan. Officially, talks between the companies on a three-way alliance ended yesterday with a phone call. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Oct 4, 2006 - The Conservative government will cripple Ontario's auto industry and put Canadians out of work if it moves ahead with plans to impose new environmental regulations on domestic carmakers, says union leader Buzz Hargrove. In "Trades News Articles"

September 2006

• Sept 30, 2006 - GM will build at least one car from its new Sigma global family of rear- and all-wheel-drive cars in the United States. The Sigma is the chassis that the new Camaro to be built in Oshawa is based on. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Sept 29, 2006 - Automakers displayed dozens of new models, but attention at the Paris Auto Show on Thursday was dominated by talks on the sidelines about possible new partnerships to combat the rising costs and increasingly fierce competition besetting the industry. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Sept 22, 2006 - The approval to ship HFV6 engines came Wednesday and the Flint engine plant will officially build and ship production engines Monday to GM's Grand River Assembly Plant in Lansing. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  Two months of talks between General Motors Corp., Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co.  have resulted in little progress toward a possible alliance, the Wall Street Journal said on Thursday. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Sept 18, 2006 - Senior executives at General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. have discussed a merger or alliance, industry newspaper Automotive News reported on Monday. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Sept 17, 2006 - Sunday morning, Detroit, Michigan-based auto maker General Motors Corp. revealed the launch of Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell, which would be the world's largest next-generation fuel cell fleet. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Sept 16, 2006 - The impending closure of Ford Motor Co.'s (TSX:F) Essex engine plant in Windsor, Ont., is "absolutely devastating," but the Canadian Auto Workers union is "incredibly relieved" at the reprieve for Ford's sedan factory in St. Thomas, Ont., union president Buzz Hargrove said Friday. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Sept 15, 2006 - The CAW Local 222 Oshaworker newsletter for September 2006 is now posted on their web site.
   

• Sept 13, 2006 - A new trademark filing suggests GM might be planning to go after technology-obsessed Lexus with an eight speed transmission of its own. On August 8th, GM registered the name "8 Speed" in reference to automobile transmissions. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  With gasoline prices refusing to come down, more drivers are looking for ways to get the most out of every gallon of fuel. But they may not like what experts recommend: Change your behaviour. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Sept 7, 2006 - General Motors Corp. announced today the extension of its warranty coverage to 100,000 miles or five years for all its 2007 car and light-truck models in the United States and Canada. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Sept 6, 2006 - General Motors Corp., the world's largest automaker, will offer longer warranties on its vehicles in a bid to boost confidence in GM products, two people familiar with the plan said. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Sept 3, 2006 - General Motors' dealers in the United States sold 368,776 new cars and trucks in August. Retail sales were up 8 percent on a sales day adjusted basis, compared with August 2005. In "Trades News Articles"

August 2006

• Aug 31, 2006 - The Canadian Auto Workers union is trying to entice Ford to build a $750 million (U.S.) assembly plant in St. Thomas by offering to temporarily break away from traditional Big Three contracts. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Aug 29, 2006 - It is so hot in New Orleans, CAW 199 retired tradesman Greg Saxon and the rest of the Canadian Auto Workers crew don't stop to eat. Probably make you sick. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Aug 26, 2006 - The Chevrolet Camaro represents the tip of the iceberg. GM’s decision to put the concept into production adds credibility to a number of trends, while confirming speculation. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Aug 25, 2006 - General Motors Corp. today unveiled a sophisticated new V8 diesel engine that reduces fuel consumption 25%, produces up to 360 horsepower and meets all upcoming emissions regulations. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Aug 23, 2006 - GM Powertrain is rolling out a variety of fuel-saving, high-tech engines; hybrid powertrains; and six-speed automatic transmissions. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Aug 21, 2006 - General Motors announced Monday morning that it will build the new Camaro at its No. 2 plant in Oshawa, a $740 million investment by the car maker. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Aug 20, 2006 - In a staggering admission of its growing problems, Ford Motor Co. announced its deepest production cuts in more than two decades Friday, slashing output of its most profitable pickups and SUVs in a move that will affect 28,000 factory workers over the next four months. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Aug 19, 2006 - The Camaro muscle car will roar out of Canada again, General Motors Corp. is set to announce on Monday that Oshawa gets the nod. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Aug 17, 2006 - CAW Local 1256 activist Willie Lambert, a challenger to CAW president Buzz Hargrove has withdrawn from the race to become the next president of the 265,000 member union. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Aug 10, 2006 - GM will bring back its Chevrolet Camaro muscle car in 2008, the automaker’s chairman and chief executive said Thursday. Don't look for an announcement of where they will build it for a few weeks. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Aug 9, 2006 - The Canadian Auto Workers union is ready to pull the trigger on 2,500 early retirement packages in Oshawa, Ont., to secure the rights to produce the Chevrolet Camaro. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  General Motors Corp. will reduce the cost to build new midsize car models by a third as it rolls out a system for sharing parts, vehicle designs and factories, a top manufacturing executive said. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Aug 8, 2006 - General Motors Corp. filed a multibillion-dollar claim against Delphi Corp., the bankrupt auto parts supplier said. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Aug 7, 2006 - It's really happening: The Chevy Camaro is coming back as a production car. To Oshawa? In "Trades News Articles"
  
  GM, for perhaps the first time since scoffing at the invasion of America by tinny little Japanese cars in the early 1970s, now has a product development and marketing strategy that makes sense. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Aug 4, 2006 - General Motors Corp. on Thursday showed off its newest assembly plant, a "green" facility that collects rainwater from the roof to flush toilets and was built with one-fourth recycled materials. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Aug 1, 2006 - Information on GM's new 2007 full size pickups along with interior and exterior pictures are available at the link in "Trades News Articles"

July 2006

• July 30, 2006 - Members of United Auto Workers Local 594 have ratified a new contract that brings the team concept to General Motors Corp.'s truck plant in Pontiac. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• July 26, 2006 - GM today reported better-than-expected quarterly results after cutting jobs and improving sales of its highly-profitable SUVs, but still was dragged down in the May-June period by huge restructuring costs. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  In a critical earnings report due out Wednesday, General Motors Corp. is expected to provide the most concrete evidence to date that its turnaround plan is working and, perhaps, that it does not need Japanese and French partners to strengthen its competitive position around the globe. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• July 23, 2006 - GM is a giant worldwide corporation, No. 3 on the Fortune 500, with almost $200 billion in revenues and more than 300,000 employees. Kirk Kerkorian is a wily financial guy who operates largely out of his vest pocket. How can Kerkorian's demands for drastic change at GM be taken so seriously? In "Trades News Articles"
   

• July 20, 2006 - Toyota has no interest in blocking or joining the proposed partnership between General Motors and the Renault-Nissan alliance, the Japanese automaker's president said Thursday. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• July 18, 2006 - Buzz Hargrove said Monday he is concerned that a potential alliance involving GM, French auto maker Renault and Japan's Nissan Motor Co. could hurt GM's Canadian operations. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• July 17, 2006 - Today, four Pipefitters return to their jobs at General Motors in St. Catharines. We wish them all the best and here's hoping that EVERYONE is back to work soon!
  
  Rick Wagoner said, "We've been able to do remarkable stuff here in the span of a year. Why would anybody want to change that? That's the craziest thing I've ever heard," he told Newsweek. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• July 15, 2006 - Teams from General Motors Corp., Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. will spend the next three months privately studying the merits of a possible alliance among the three automakers, the companies said in a joint statement following a meeting of their chief executives Friday night. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  Top executives at Toyota are mulling their own overture to GM to head off rival Nissan from forging an alliance that could help the Japanese-French car company, according to people with knowledge of the Japanese auto maker's plans. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• July 14, 2006 - Carlos Ghosn, chief executive officer of Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA, said he doesn't want to add the top job at GM to his current duties. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• July 12, 2006 - GM Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said Tuesday that he is not against a proposed alliance with Renault and Nissan. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• July 10, 2006 - Arturo Elías, president and managing director of GM de Mexico since March 2001, will replace Michael Grimaldi as president and managing director of GM of Canada effective August 1st. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  Toyota will build a $65-million plant that will create 330 jobs in the Ontario automotive industry. Interiors giant Toyota Boshoku Corp. announced Monday that it will build a plant in Woodstock, Ont. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• July 8, 2006 - General Motors' board of directors Friday endorsed preliminary discussions with Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. about a three-way alliance. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• July 7, 2006 - Just as General Motors Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner's turnaround plan is starting to take hold, analysts say he now has to fight to keep it going and perhaps save his career. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• July 5, 2006 - GM, the country's biggest automaker said its June 2006 sales rose 4.6 percent to 45,307 vehicles, helped by a combination of demand for its new models and its clearance program which began in mid June. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• July 4, 2006 - High gas prices continued to pull down sales by domestic automakers in June in the U.S., with General Motors Corp. selling 25.7 percent fewer vehicles than in June 2005 when GM offered their "Employee Discount For Everyone". In "Trades News Articles"
   

• July 2, 2006 - Chrysler has officially announced plans to make the Dodge Challenger, a two-door coupe based on the muscle car originally built from 1970 to 1974. Still no Camaro from GM? In "Trades News Articles"
   

• July 1, 2006 - Kirk Kerkorian, major shareholder in General Motors Corp., said Friday that automakers Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. are interested in purchasing a significant stake in GM and including the Detroit automaker in their alliance. In "Trades News Articles" 

June 2006

• June 29, 2006 - Ford, GM and Chrysler plan to more than double annual production of vehicles capable of running on renewable fuels to two million cars and trucks by 2010, the automakers said on Wednesday. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 28, 2006 - The impending exodus of hourly workers from General Motors Corp. and bankrupt auto parts maker Delphi Corp. may ease pressures on GM and lower odds of a strike at Delphi, analysts said on Tuesday. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 27, 2006 - About 35,000 hourly workers at General Motors Corp. have taken buyout or early retirement offers, surpassing the company's expectations as it tries to cut costs by paring its hourly work force, Rick Wagoner said Monday. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 26, 2006 - By now you have seen the pictures of the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado that we have linked to in "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 24, 2006 - The surge of takers for the buyouts at GM and Delphi may have pushed the final tally higher than 40,000 workers, capping with a bang one of the biggest one-time downsizing events in the history of the U.S. auto industry.  In "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 23, 2006 - A General Motors Corp. executive said Thursday that the automaker will post good results for the second quarter.  In "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 21, 2006 - Two major rating agencies cut General Motors Corp.'s debt rating deeper into junk territory on Tuesday after the automaker said it was offering banks collateral to renew a credit facility.  In "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 20, 2006 - The CAW Local 222 Oshaworker newsletter for June 2006 is now posted on their web site.
   

• June 19, 2006 - Friday’s announcement that a St. Catharines auto parts plant will close, eliminating 250 jobs, was no shock for Mike Molinaro and Nick Urry. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 18, 2006 - Bankrupt auto parts maker Delphi Corp. said it has reached an agreement with its second-largest union and General Motors Corp. on a buyout plan similar to its plan with the United Auto Workers. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 15, 2006 - GM is close to approving a massive revamp of its Oshawa, Ont., operations that could save thousands of jobs and make it the key source of rear-wheel-drive vehicles for several of its divisions. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  General Motors said today that there is still work to be done and that an announcement might not be made until the end of the year. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 10, 2006 - Bankrupt auto parts maker Delphi Corp. on Friday announced an expanded deal of buyouts with United Auto Workers and put off contentious court hearings, signaling a stepped-up effort to settle matters and avoid a costly strike. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 9, 2006 - Perhaps International Trade Minister David Emerson can help the 15,000 members of Canadian Auto Workers Local 222 in Oshawa, Ont., reconcile two stories in yesterday's Report on Business. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 8, 2006 - In the 2006 J.D. Power quality survey, factories owned by General Motors Corp., Toyota, and the Chrysler Group received honours. The winning GM and Chrysler plants were Canadian factories with CAW workers; the Toyota plant is non-union. No UAW plants won a top-quality award this year. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 7, 2006 - GM's chairman cautioned on Tuesday that the world's largest auto maker faces a tough U.S. market and record-high commodity costs despite progress made under a sweeping restructuring, as shareholders voted to strengthen board oversight. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 6, 2006 - General Motors is considering reviving Pontiac’s role as GM’s performance leader with a lineup of exclusively rear-wheel-drive cars, according to trade publication Automotive News. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  GM on Monday said it will invest $48 million in a foundry in Bedford, Indiana, to build transmission cases and converter housings for its fuel-saving six-speed transmissions. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 3, 2006 - After a tumultuous year in which General Motors Corp. announced thousands of job cuts, lost billions of dollars and cut its dividend in half, the automaker's executives will face shareholders at its annual meeting. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 2, 2006 - GM announced Thursday an additional $332 million investment to support production of its new family of six-speed FWD transmissions at its transmission plant in Warren. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• June 1, 2006 - After enacting sharp cost-cutting efforts over the past year, General Motors Corp. Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said Tuesday that he will hand over direct control of the money-losing North American automotive operations to a GM veteran with a strong background in manufacturing and labour relations. In "Trades News Articles"
  

May 2006

• May 31, 2006 - GM on Tuesday named an new President to take charge of its turnaround in North America as company and union officials said more than 20,000 factory workers had accepted buyout offers to date. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  GM will spend $125 million to expand its 6 speed RWD and AWD transmission plant, the automaker said Tuesday. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 30, 2006 - GM will build a new car plant in Russia and invest $200 million in the project, Russian Economy Minister German Gref said on Monday. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 29, 2006 - Don't look now but shares in General Motors Corp., the purportedly oafish behemoth that defines Old Economy ineptitude, are a top performer on the bellwether Dow Jones Industrial Average. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 27, 2006 - GM plans to make a "major investment announcement" at its powertrain Ypsilanti transmission plant in Michigan on Tuesday. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 26, 2006 - GM's Lutz says new attitudes and product renaissance helping to lead turnaround. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 25, 2006 - General Motors Corp. shares rose after the company began replacing union employees lost to buyouts and retirements with temporary workers and a Merrill Lynch analyst recommended the stock. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 24, 2006 - GM is asking a New York bankruptcy judge to adjourn hearings as long as two months to give the automaker more time to reach a labour accord with auto-parts supplier Delphi Corp. and avoid a strike. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 23, 2006 - Automakers are trying to get more ethanol-capable vehicles on the road quickly, but warned that consumers in the meantime should not use an E85 ethanol blend in conventional vehicles or try to convert their vehicles to use E85. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 20, 2006 - General Motors Corp. said Thursday it is introducing 19 new or significantly redesigned engines and transmissions in its 2007 model year vehicles, including a new hybrid system and a fuel-saving V-6. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  Congress members in the U.S. who met with the leaders of the Big Three U.S. carmakers on Thursday, pledged to work with them to help the industry compete against foreign carmakers. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 19, 2006 - One new factory opens, and two close. That's the disturbing trend in Canada's auto industry as companies struggle to deal with changes expected to cut 4,700 jobs in the next four years. It could be worse... In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 18, 2006 - After a spate of accounting errors at the world's largest automaker, General Motors Corp. on Wednesday said it would restructure its corporate controller's office and hire a financial advisory firm. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 17, 2006 - The UAW on Tuesday said its U.S. hourly workers overwhelmingly authorized union leaders to call a strike should bankrupt auto parts maker Delphi Corp. toss out its labour contracts. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 16, 2006 - Mark Phelan was the first writer to drive the Chevrolet Camaro concept vehicle this morning at General Motors’ Milford Proving Grounds. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 15, 2006 - "Who says GM is dead?" is the title of an article in Time magazine. You can read the article at the above link or in the "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 14, 2006 - General Motors Corp. plans to close its Drayton Plains auto parts packaging plant. Until Friday it hadn't announced one of the three service and parts operations facilities that were to be closed as part of it's plan. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  General Motors announced Friday that it expects to stop the production of Hummer H1, its huge sport utility vehicle. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 13, 2006 - Hot sales of the Chevrolet Impala have given at least a temporary reprieve to about 900 workers at GM in Oshawa, Ont. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 12, 2006 - The CAW Local 222 Oshaworker newsletter for May 2006 is now posted on their web site.
   

• May 11, 2006 - GM on Wednesday said a deal with former subsidiary Delphi Corp. could lead to additional costs for the automaker. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 10, 2006 - GM's chief executive said on Tuesday that resolving labour issues at former subsidiary Delphi Corp. to avoid a production shutdown was a priority for the No. 1 U.S. automaker. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 9, 2006 - General Motors Corp. on Monday revised its first-quarter results to exclude a charge for a retiree health care deal with its union, an accounting change that pushed the world's largest automaker to profit. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  Now that the novelty has worn off, in order for hybrids to succeed they have to be cheaper. It's all about total cost of ownership. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 8, 2006 - Following a decade of litigation, lawyers have settled the final remaining claims brought by General Motors Corp. workers who said that exposure to toxic metalworking fluids harmed them. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 5, 2006 - A repeat of the costly price wars U.S. automakers hoped to avoid this year appears more likely, according to analysts, as the traditional Big Three confront sagging sales and nagging worries about gas prices. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 4, 2006 - Pumping up the pressure on Delphi Corp., the United Auto Workers' union on Wednesday called on its locals to take strike votes. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 3, 2006 - Magna International Inc., which grew into the world's third-largest auto parts maker as a non-union enterprise, is discussing a "framework of fairness" with major unions, chairman Frank Stronach said yesterday. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• May 1, 2006 - Workers at Chrysler's Trenton Engine Plant overwhelmingly ratified new work rules Sunday that could pave the way for the construction of an $800 million V-6 engine plant adjacent to the current factory. In "Trades News Articles"

April 2006

• Apr 29, 2006 - The Global Hybrid Cooperation partnership - a joint venture of General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and BMW - took the wraps off its new state-of-the-art "full hybrid" system Thursday. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  Rick Wagoner's 2005 compensation was cut by almost half as the automaker lost billions of dollars and its credit rating was slashed to junk status, according to a proxy statement filed Friday with U.S. federal regulators. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 28, 2006 - The CEO's of GM, Ford and Chrysler will meet with U.S. President George W. Bush next month to discuss energy policy, labour costs and foreign exchange issues, sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. In "Trades News Articles" 
   

• Apr 27, 2006 - GM in the U.S., has enough in its pension plan and a new entity, the Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association, to absorb planned buyouts of workers, and tempt others to go, without impairing retiree benefits, according to Merrill. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 26, 2006 - Chrysler President said higher gas prices haven't had much effect so far. Gas prices would need to stay above $3 or $4 a gallon for six months to a year before the company would see any real change in buyers' preferences. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  General Motors faces a possible class-action lawsuit over allegedly defective intake manifold gaskets in 400,000 cars in Canada. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 25, 2006 - U.S. consumers bought vehicles with big, gas-guzzling engines at an unchanged rate in the first three months of the year despite rising gas prices, according to a survey released on Monday. In "Trades News Articles" 
   

• Apr 24, 2006 - A day after GM's stock price shot up more than 10% following the release of quarterly earnings that exceeded estimates, the shares retreated nearly 4%. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 21, 2006 - General Motors Corp., the world's largest automaker, reported its sixth straight quarterly loss and beat analysts' estimates as the company cuts jobs and reduces pension and health-care benefits amid U.S. market-share losses. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  Willie Lambert, a long-time local labour leader, will run against Buzz Hargrove for the presidency of the Canadian Auto Workers at a CAW union conference in Vancouver this August. In "Trades News Articles" 
   

• Apr 20, 2006 - GM Corp. on Wednesday said its global vehicle sales rose 4.4 percent in the first quarter, driven by strong gains in China and India. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 19, 2006 - U.S. automakers should be granted a special provision under bankruptcy law that protects them from damaging production disruptions if key suppliers fail, a Ford Motor Co. executive said on Tuesday. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 18, 2006 - Now that Ford Motor Co. has announced its promised second round of plant closings, attention has turned to the company's plan to build a new, low-cost manufacturing facility somewhere in North America. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 16, 2006 - Union leaders at the idled General Motors Corp. plant in Oklahoma City would like to one day produce the next generation of the Chevrolet Camaro sports car. Thanks to Dave MacLellan for sending us the story that you will find above or in "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 14, 2006 - The CAW Local 222 Oshaworker newsletter for April 2006 is now posted on their web site.
  
  Ford's assembly plant in St. Thomas has dodged a bullet, but union leaders are wary that another one could still be coming. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 13, 2006 - In another chapter in a race to the bottom, GM and workers at its assembly plant in suburban Moraine have reached a tentative contract agreement that would put the facility in position to build a new generation of sport utility vehicles. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  On her 83rd birthday, Lillian Winkel celebrated the same way she spends every day — going to work at a GM metal stamping plant in Indianapolis. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 12, 2006 - General Motors Corp., the world's No. 1 automaker, is stepping up efforts to expand its reliance on Korean auto parts. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  Taking an unusually public swipe at another industry, Chrysler's chief spokesman slammed major oil companies Monday, accusing them of greed and indifference to the environment. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 11, 2006 - GM said on Tuesday it will sell its 7.9 percent stake in Japanese truck maker Isuzu Motors for $300 million (172 million pounds), unravelling a 35-year equity alliance to raise much-needed cash to revive its ailing business. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 10, 2006 - General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner said Sunday he doesn't expect a strike at bankrupt parts maker Delphi Corp. but acknowledged the automaker is preparing for the possibility. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 8, 2006 - The deal approved on Friday by the courts, frees Delphi to offer GM-funded retirement incentives to about 13,000 UAW members, and allows 5,000 workers a chance to return to factory jobs at GM. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 7, 2006 - GM will cut the third shift at its Lordstown, Ohio, plant due to lower-than-expected sales of its Chevrolet Cobalt small car. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 6, 2006 - The Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, which will be built off GM's crucial new GMT900 platform, are slated for release in the fall and may be the most awaited, and feared, new vehicles in years. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  All eyes were on Ford's Chairman and Chief Executive Bill Ford Jr. on Wednesday when he said the Detroit auto industry is in a "precarious" situation, but does not see bankruptcy as a risk for the No. 2 U.S. automaker. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 4, 2006 - General Motors Corp. said on Monday it agreed to sell a 51 percent stake in its financing arm, General Motors Acceptance Corp., to a consortium led by hedge fund Cerberus Capital Management LP in a deal worth about $14 billion. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  General Motors and Ford Motor Company posted lower March U.S. sales on Monday, as consumers favoured Asian vehicles and the top two U.S. automakers held back on less-profitable fleet sales. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 3, 2006 - The CBS show 60 Minutes did a piece on GM on Sunday night's show. The transcript and the video segment can be found at the link in "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 2, 2006 - Delphi plan is a grim model for the future. Cutting benefits, union ties and moving to China, Mexico, bankrupt supplier could pave way for others. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Apr 1, 2006 - GM, the world's largest private provider of health care, has won a federal judge's approval to proceed with $1 billion in cuts to it's U.S. union retirees' benefits. In "Trades News Articles"

March 2006

• Mar 31, 2006 - Delphi said it will ask a federal bankruptcy court on Friday to void its labour contracts as part of a controversial restructuring that calls for layoffs of up to 8,500 salaried workers and the sale or closure of 21 of its 29 U.S. plants. In "Trades News Articles" 
   

• Mar 30, 2006 - The U.S. Transportation Department announced new fuel economy standards Wednesday for sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks and minivans that will make some of them go farther on a gallon of gasoline. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  It may be time to give someone else other than Rick Wagoner, a shot at running the auto maker -- especially if it doesn't recover after cutting countless jobs. Ya' think? In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Mar 29, 2006 - GM's plant in Oshawa, Ontario, may be a strong contender to build a new Camaro muscle car because of cost-cutting concessions from the union, Mike Grimaldi, the head of the automaker's Canadian unit said. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  General Motors Corp. warned it may be unable to sell a majority stake in its finance division, in an annual report Tuesday that highlighted the myriad risks and financial woes confronting the world's largest automaker. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Mar 28, 2006 - General Motors Corp., pummeled by falling U.S. sales and billions in losses, said Tuesday that it is laying off several hundred U.S. salaried workers as part of a plan to bring its North American operations back to profitability. In "Trades News Articles" 
   

• Mar 27, 2006 - Sam Gindin's public criticisms of our recent contract with General Motors are both unfounded and deeply unfair. Given the turmoil in the auto industry these days, it's more important than ever to nail down new investments. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  The CAW’s decision to open its just signed local agreements with GM in Oshawa marked a momentous turning point in our union’s history. With this decision the CAW stepped on the accelerator in the corporate race to the bottom. The result is a great leap backwards that will ultimately affect every Canadian worker. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  The UAW's rise helped make the United States a fairer and more just place, and helped lots of ordinary Americans live in dignity. When it's diminished, as it has been, all Americans, and Canadians, are diminished. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Mar 26, 2006 - General Motors, reeling from $10.6 billion in losses last year, will fire hundreds of its U.S. salaried employees starting next week, according to people familiar with the plan. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Mar 25, 2006 - "We're going to see major, major changes in the way vehicles are manufactured and who's going to be doing the manufacturing," said James McTevia, a Detroit restructuring consultant. "We haven't seen the last of it yet." In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Mar 24, 2006 - Earlier this month the CAW leadership opened the collective agreement in Oshawa, threatening the end of a proud era of autoworker resistance and working class leadership. In "Trades News Articles"
   

  Where is the CAW Going? Buzz Hargrove and Sam Gindin who is a retired CAW strategist exchange views in a heated exchange. In "Trades News Articles"

  
  GM on Thursday said it sold a larger-than-expected stake in its real estate financing unit, as GM seeks to raise cash and pay for massive employee buyouts announced a day earlier. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Mar 23, 2006 - Crammed inside a smoke-filled bar, Gregg Shotwell stared grimly at a group of fellow blue-collar autoworkers, trying to rally them to fight for the American Dream. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Mar 22, 2006 - General Motors and bankrupt auto supplier Delphi Corp. unveiled a deal today with the United Auto Workers to offer early retirement packages to thousands of factory workers as part of far-reaching plans to downsize the companies. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  Canada is still the cheapest place to do business among G7 countries, even though the rising dollar has eroded some of its advantage over the United States, a KPMG study has found. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Mar 21, 2006 - GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner faces a growing number of critics who want him to step aside in order to win back investor confidence. In "Trades News Articles" 

• Mar 20, 2006 - How do you make more profit while selling fewer Impalas? By controlling inventory and squeezing more revenue out of each transaction. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Mar 19, 2006 - Thanks to Detroit, China Is Poised to Lead. North American automaker's actions over these last few years comes back to bite them in the ass. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Mar 18, 2006 - Despite the market's reaction to GM losing an additional $2 billion, one analyst saw a silver lining, saying the hefty new charges GM is taking related to a bailout of Delphi Corp., its former auto parts subsidiary, suggested the companies were getting close to a deal with the United Auto Workers union.  In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Mar 17, 2006 - GM on Thursday revised its loss for 2005 to $10.6 billion, $2 billion more than initially reported, due to charges associated with its restructuring, the bankruptcy of its former subsidiary Delphi Corp. and its finance arm GMAC. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Mar 16, 2006 - Capital investment in Canada's auto industry will jump to almost $4.9 billion this year, and one leading analyst says the hefty level of spending will continue for the rest of the decade. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  General Motors Corp. is considering a bid of $12.5 billion to $13 billion for a majority stake in its financing arm from a group led by New York private-equity firm Kohlberg, Kravis & Roberts and some banks. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  Well, it's a clear desperation move for GM. The auto giant needs cash as it tries to restructure, bail out its old Delphi parts unit, and just generally dig in against the gravitational pull coming from U.S. bankruptcy court. In "Trades News Articles"

   

• Mar 15, 2006 - Rating agency Standard & Poor's on Tuesday said it expected GM to swing to profitability in 2006 but said a bankruptcy filing was a risk if financial performance at the world's largest automaker does not improve. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Mar 13, 2006 - Nissan and Honda have encountered difficulties getting new plants up to full production in recent years in Mississippi and Alabama due to an untrained, and often illiterate, workforce. In Alabama, trainers had to use "pictorials" to teach some illiterate workers how to use high-tech plant equipment. In "Trades News Articles"
   

• Mar 12, 2006 - For those STA members that require the EI clawback form this year, the form can be downloaded here.
   

• Mar 11, 2006 - The CAW Local 222 Oshaworker newsletter for March 2006 is now posted on their web site.
   

• Mar 10, 2006 - CAW Local 222 workers at General Motors in Oshawa have made their commitment to the future of their plants by voting in favour of a cost-saving agreement recently demanded by the Corporation. In "Trades News Articles"
  
  The United Auto Workers' vaunted solidarity is being tested by a growing divide between union leaders and rank-and-file workers calling for an end to givebacks. In "Trades News Articles"
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