Brian Queen's letter to Grimaldi - Skilled Trades Association

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

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Your friends at STA

remind everyone, at

work and at home, to

Work Smart and Work Safe!

Dear Mr. Grimaldi,

I hope this letter gets to you and not to somebody who doesn’t really understand what is going on. On September 27, 2003, I was part of a lay-off in the skilled trades at GM St. Catharines.

I am a welder with eighteen years seniority and has given half my working life to GM. Like my brothers laid off with me, we have performed our jobs with commitment and professionalism. To be told that GM no longer needs you is a feeling that deeply saddens my fellow workers and I. After all, aren’t we the BEST OF THE BEST that put together the Gen III module in record ramp up. Also, the HFV6 in record time, the best transmission parts in the world and so on. In my Eighteen year in GM, I committed myself to purchasing GM products, 11 in total personally, and four times that to friends and family. I find it hard that my fellow trades people and I were put to the street. There certainly
is a way around this lay off.

GM could utilize the people with supplemental painter, carpenters, electrical etc. until such time trades were needed in their field. Shop Committee Reps. Gary Martin and Doug Orr offered the
Company a without precedent setting letter to either party, that if they allowed our trades to assist the painters and carpenters, the union would not claim work ownership or expect the company to fully utilize the trades that are assisting. They still turned them down. The company would rather
have contractors at seventy dollars and hour than pay twelve dollars an hour difference between what they get paid during lay off versus working. One thing I think you would understand is cost savings. I really do hope you take the time to read this letter Mr. Grimaldi. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the common sense in resolving this very important issue.

Best Regard,

Brian Queen