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Skilled Trades Association 2006 Update Archive 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"
Mar 9, 2006 - Ontario's industry minister says the government is negotiating with General Motors to keep a car plant in Oshawa open and is confident the operation will survive in some form. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 8, 2006 - The Chevrolet Camaro will take a giant step closer to production if workers at General Motors' plants in Oshawa, Ontario, approve a new flexible manufacturing system this week. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 7, 2006 - GM planning next-generation Pontiac GTO, vehicle likely to be built on same line as the new Camaro. Thanks to Dan Murray for the link in "Trades News Articles"
Mar 6, 2006 - CAW Local 222 has agreed to changes in work rules that it hopes will lead to an $800-million investment by General Motors of Canada Ltd. to build the new Chevrolet Camaro in Oshawa, Ont. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 4, 2006 - General Motors of Canada Ltd. and its union have reached a tentative deal on significant workplace changes that could lead to substantial savings at its operations in Oshawa. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 2, 2006 - Our brothers in Oshawa have started an online forum to provide a convenient, common meeting place for fellow workers to talk about issues and concerns that face their workforce, in a friendly and considerate environment. In CAW Locals and Labour Links
General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. said their February U.S. sales fell, after fleet customers boosted January results. DaimlerChrysler AG, Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. reported gains. In "Trades News Articles"
General Motors of Canada dealers delivered 24,938 units for February, a decrease of 23% over the same month last year. Passenger car sales for the month were down 32.4% to 10,810 units while trucks were off by 13.7% at 14,128 units. In "Trades News Articles"
Mar 1, 2006 - Rick Doty is a 30-year veteran of Caterpillar and is paid $23.51 an hour as a
machinist. To his fellow workers, Mr. Doty, who is also a local union leader, struggles to justify an inequality that he helped to negotiate. In "Trades News Articles"
February 2006 Feb 28, 2006 - GM will expand its transmission plant in Toledo Ohio to produce a new six speed RWD automatic tranny, the company announced Monday. In "Trades News Articles"
GM has shifted its worldwide electronics purchasing unit from Warren, Mich., to Shanghai to place it at the hub of China's electronics industry. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 27, 2006 - The once-massive cost advantage Canada held over the United States in automobile assembly has been almost entirely eroded by the soaring dollar, rising costs here and a new health care deal with the UAW, according to GM. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 25, 2006 - General Motors Corp. on Friday said it was maintaining stock option grants to senior executives at 2005 levels after slashing their salaries in what analysts read as a bid to win labour support for deeper cost cutting. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 24, 2006 - Chris Buckley says of the negotiations in Oshawa, "We could roll the dice and gamble that this is a bluff," he said. "But that would be irresponsible. We are gambling with thousands of people's future." In "Trades News Articles"
General Motors of Canada said on Thursday it will invest $197 million (Canadian $227 million) at its Oshawa, Ontario, truck assembly plant to prepare for its next generation of full-sized pickup trucks. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 23, 2006 - General Motors Corp. is seeking a spot on Delphi Corp.'s creditors' committee, saying its interests aren't being represented by the current committee as Delphi reorganizes in bankruptcy court. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 22, 2006 - GM is calling on the CAW Union membership in Oshawa to eliminate "cost barriers" in order to become more competitive in the automotive manufacturing market and attract new investment. In "Trades News Articles"
Moody's Investors Service on Tuesday cut its debt rating on GM deeper into junk territory, saying it is increasingly concerned that high wage and benefit costs are making it difficult for the automaker to compete outside of bankruptcy. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 21, 2006 - Buick will get a "super" version of the LaCrosse this fall. That's an "up-level edition," Larson said. It will include new front-end treatments, such as a waterfall grille, and a V-8 engine. Pricing has not been set. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 20, 2006 - In the latest sign of China's manufacturing ambitions, a major Chinese company, hand-in-hand with the Communist Party, is bidding to buy from DaimlerChrysler and BMW a car engine plant in Brazil. Sound familiar? In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 18, 2006 - Bankrupt auto parts supplier Delphi Corp. on Friday said it would delay to the end of March filing court papers to void its labour contracts and to cut retiree benefits, citing progress in talks with unions and its former parent GM Corp. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 17, 2006 - The Chevrolet Camaro may again roar out of a General Motors Corp. plant in Canada, if Michael Grimaldi has his way. In "Trades News Articles"
First, buy the hottest new car on the lot. Then rip it to pieces. Inside GM's chop shop, they take (apart) the competition very seriously. In "Trades News Articles"
Feb 16, 2006 - CAW local 222 president Chris Buckley in Oshawa says that the union has been engaged in ongoing meetings with General Motors, but denies receiving any pressure from the company to make cost-cutting concessions. In "Trades News Articles"
Ford Canada president Bill Osborne and other executives have confirmed that the auto maker's new flexible manufacturing plant in Oakville will start assembling gasoline engine-electric motor versions of the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX cross-over sport utility vehicles by 2010. In "Trades News Articles"
January 2006 Jan 28, 2006 - General Motors Corp. warned of more cutbacks after the company capped a disastrous 2005 by reporting on Thursday an $8.6-billion loss for the year, the second-largest loss in the history of Detroit automakers. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 26, 2006 - GM reported staggering losses for the fourth quarter and for all of 2005, dragged down by slumping sales at its ailing North American automotive business. In "Trades News Articles"
Billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian has reacquired the 12 million shares of General Motors stock his Tracinda Corporation sold just last month. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 25, 2006 - Shares of GM stock rose 5% Tuesday, representing the second straight day the struggling stock has posted a rally. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 24, 2006 - Ford will shut 14 plants and cut factory employment by 25,000 to 30,000 in an effort to return North American operations to profitability by 2008. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 23, 2006 - The concessions that Delphi is asking for are unprecedented in any industry. If Delphi gets away with it, the rest of the corporations will follow their example. All management will feel the wind in their sails. But more unions are fighting back. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 22, 2006 - Chrysler is cutting back the number of Skilled Trade workers in some of its factories as it strives to match the manufacturing efficiency of its Asian competitors. Sounds all too familiar! In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 20, 2006 - The Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act and Construction Regulations, along with other regulations relevant to the construction industry are available online in downloadable, fully searchable and printed versions. In "Health and Safety"
Jan 19, 2006 - Perhaps no single personality in the auto industry conjures as much attention, praise, or controversy as General Motors' venerable new-car czar, Robert "Bob" Lutz. In "Trades News Articles"
Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. trailed Japanese rivals in operating North American plants close to capacity in 2005 while giving up additional U.S. market share. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 18, 2006 - "We have no interest in GM declining, or in becoming number one," Toyota said. "GM is a global icon, it supports the economy and represents the strength of the industry. We have great confidence they will emerge in a much stronger position." In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 17, 2006 - Gary Martin's Chairperson's report for January 5th and the 17th of 2006 is posted on the CAW199 web site today. Find it at the link above or if you prefer, in "Trades News Articles"
GM will weigh the Camaro, as well as the next-generation Chevrolet Impala and a Buick sedan in the rwd car program. The Buick, Chevrolet, Pontiac and Saturn brands are under consideration for rear-drive models. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 16, 2006 - Whether GM will build a plant addition in Toledo to manufacture six-speed transmissions is uncertain, but the automaker is committed to boosting production of the powertrain which is supposed to boost fuel economy and performance. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 15, 2006 - The CAW Local 222 Oshaworker newsletter for January 2006 is now posted on their web site.
Jan 14, 2006 - GM CEO Rick Wagoner was optimistic today in a meeting with automotive analysts, forecasting about $4 billion in cost savings this year, as various initiatives to reduce structural costs start to take affect. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 13, 2006 - General Motors Corp. said Thursday it sold 9.17 million vehicles worldwide in 2005, the most it has sold in 27 years. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 11, 2006 - The EPA in the U.S. on Tuesday proposed the first major overhaul in 20 years in the way it calculates fuel economy ratings for cars and trucks, a shift the agency said would reduce mileage estimates by 5 to 30 percent, depending on the type of driving and kind of vehicle. In "Trades News Articles"
General Motors Corp. said Tuesday it is lowering sticker prices on three-quarters of its U.S. vehicles, a move meant to wean buyers off incentives and take aim at competitors that have been sapping its market share. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 10, 2006 - The Bitchin’ Bow Tie is back as Chevy re-launches its fabled Camaro. But it won't be built in Canada. In "Trades News Articles"
The Dow Jones industrial average broke 11,000 for the first time in 4 1/2 years on Monday, with Dow component General Motors Corp. leading the way up after a brokerage upgrade of the world's biggest automaker. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 9, 2006 - GM's Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner said he would like to see an end to job guarantees for members of the United Auto Workers union at GM, but he wouldn't comment on his chances to win such a contract change in the 2007 labour negotiations. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 8, 2006 - General Motors has no intention of using bankruptcy as a way out of its current financial problems, the embattled automaker's CEO flatly declared during a pre-Detroit Auto Show background briefing. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 7, 2006 - Gary Desy, the founder of the Skilled Trades Association has written a letter entitled "The Beat Goes On". We have posted at in the "Soap Box" area of the site.
Jan 6, 2006 - GM will lay off about 500 contract employees, many of them engineers and designers at its technical center in Warren, on Friday as part of the automaker's effort to downsize its money-losing North American operations. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 5, 2006 - Chevrolet was the best-selling brand in the U.S. market in 2005, outpacing Ford for the first time in 19 years, General Motors Corp. said Wednesday. But that was where the good news ended for GM and other U.S. automakers. In "Trades News Articles"
GM in 2005 posted several significant records that point to strong consumer acceptance of its new products. Chevrolet, led by strong full-size pickup and launch vehicle sales, was the best-selling vehicle brand in the United States for the first time since 1986. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 4, 2006 - I'm betting on GM and Ford to ultimately start having many happy and prosperous new years. That's not a Wall Street wager. Wall Street gambles with other people's money; but it doesn't give a hoot about people, which is why I don't give a hoot about Wall Street. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 3, 2006 - This year, angry Delphi workers and their supporters will be crashing the bosses’ party at the NAIAS in Detroit. In "Trades News Articles"
Jan 2, 2006 - Many of the country's manufacturing workers are caught in a worldwide economic shift that is forcing companies to slash payrolls or send jobs elsewhere, leaving workers to wonder if their way of life is disappearing. In "Trades News Articles"
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