No respect from GM Reprinted from the St. Catharines Standard
There’s a dark side to General Motors’ industry-record launch of its high feature V-6 engine line, says Papa Dez.
On Sept. 28, Papa Dez was among 49 skilled trades workers laid off after they helped build the new line that caused the automotive world to notice.
While GM won kudos for its 15-week ramp-up that finished in mid August, workers who helped the company win this recognition were out the door, Papa Dez said. “Show a little more respect to the people who’ve made St. Catharines General Motors what it is today and put us back to work,” said the 56yr old.
Meanwhile, Papa Dez is adapting to unemployment life. He has been laid off before. “You have to pull in your reigns and subdue your life style”. But something else upsets the Thorold millwright with almost 19yrs seniority. Many still working at the engine plant are putting in long hours and extra shifts. Meanwhile other skilled trades people are out of work and itching to return. GM spokesman Stew Low says the layoffs occurred because of the V-6 and other construction operations have ended.
The workers were laid off because work performed by their job classification is currently not needed.
And it’s not the issue of excess overtime being worked insists Low. The people out of work are in construction trades and are not production workers who are mostly affected by the overtime.
Both the company and the union recognize the number of different dimensions. This is a cyclical business. It’s cyclical from a consumer standpoint and the investment cycle isn’t necessarily constant. Still the main concern the laid off tradespeople remains one of respect said Papa Dez. We do our job well and we want to keep doing it. There is a lot more to work than just getting a paycheck he said. There is the camaraderie, a feeling of fulfillment. You feel better about yourself and so does your family. When you are unemployed you are on the outside looking in. Papa Dez is also a spokesman for a recently formed Skilled Trades Association, which represents the interests of GM tradespeople. Papa Dez said he and other laid off workers don’t want to sound like whiners. They are well taken care of on the outside. Doug Orr, CAW Local 199 unit chairman for GM St. Catharines said, security provisions combined with federal employment insurance benefits, a laid off worker receives 60 to 65% of their gross wages.
However Orr said weekend working hours at the GM should be reduced. Some of the preventative maintenance or construction work being done (on overtime) might then create openings for the skilled tradespeople.
"There’s a certain level of exploitation to the workers that are left", said Orr.
"In some cases they’re actually forcing these workers to work (overtime) but the workers are declining (overtime) to support their coworkers in the laid off trades".
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