Skilled Trades Association, CAW Local 199 St. Catharines (General Motors Unit) | ||||||
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Dear Mr. Grimaldi The letter I wrote to you in October was referred to a Mr. J.K. Cameron for a response. After taking some time to compose a communication that covered the situation in St. Catharines as I saw it, imagine my disappointment when I was brushed off with the same form letter all my fellow laid-off tradesmen received. All that was missing was the "Dear Occupant" salutation. Mr. Cameron alludes to the completion of the Gen III engine project and states that it is the reason for the current workforce reduction. However, the Gen III was completed in 1999 and many of the same group of skilled trades, myself included, were laid off in February of 1999. Did he really mean to say the High Feature V-6? Shortly after this lay-off about five weeks, I think) there was a recall of some of the laid-off trades because St. Catharines management had cut too deeply. The extended shift overtime and the forcing in of tradesmen on weekends suggests that this has happened again. Extension of shift and working in excess of 60 hours is common practice in Oshawa. It has been the exception in St. Catharines Mr. Cameron suggests a preferential hire application for work in Oshawa. I have already taken advantage of this opportunity but a daily commute of almost 200 kilometers each way was not what I had in mind. While laid off, the skilled trades from St. Catharines have not been idle. We have formed an association to back our union leadership in its efforts to return us to work, to support each other and to help out around the community. Please feel free to visit our web-site, read some of our mail and see what we've been doing. http://www.SkilledTradesAssociation.com Respectfully yours, John H. Henderson | ||||||
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