Skilled Trades Association, CAW Local 199 St. Catharines (General Motors Unit) | ||||||
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Letter from John Henderson to Ms. Gesele Nicholls Dear Ms. Nicholls This is to get your opinion and advice about a situation at General Motors, St. Catharines operation. Within the last month many of us, about 49, in the skilled trades department at General Motors have been laid off. The stated reason for this lay-off was shortage of work. While there, it had always been our understanding that we could not exceed 60 hours worked per week. This understanding was further underscored by the occasional reminder to employees who went over this limit by only a couple of hours even if inadvertently that they were in violation of a labour ministry guideline (law) Now it seems that our fellow tradesmen are being asked to work extended shifts and in at least one instance to double back in so that these tradesmen were working eight eight hour shifts in one week. These are to me at least clear violations of what we understood the laws and or regulations to be. My point is that apart from being at best unethical and at worst illegal this action by General Motors shows they are trying to either get by either fewer workers putting in longer hours or that there was not really a shortage of work as indicated when we were laid off and we are victims of a cost cutting scheme. As you are in a position to look into this would you please do so on our behalf? Respectfully yours. John H Henderson | ||||||
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