“The clock’s ticking and we’re a long way apart.”
Workers at the CAMI plant in Ingersoll say they’ll leave the assembly line for the picket line if they can’t come to a new contract agreement with General Motors.
“We've got a great plant, a great workforce,” says Mike Van Boekel, the chairperson for Unifor Local 88. “We built the best truck in North America for quality. Our expenses are in line, we deserve a good contract. They don’t want to talk.”
GM and the union have been at the bargaining table for two weeks.
Workers say they’re worried about the future of the plant.
In January the automaker cut more than 600 jobs in Ingersoll after deciding to move production of the GMC Terrain SUV to Mexico.
Workers fear the same thing could happen again with the Chevy Equinox, which has been produced in Ingersoll since 2009.
“GM doesn’t plan on providing us with a letter securing the Equinox build in this plant as a lead producer,” says Dan Borthwick, president of Unifor Local 88.
In a statement to CTV, GM said: “We are proud of the experience, quality and productivity of our CAMI workforce and will work with our union partners toward another innovative and mutually beneficial competitive agreement.”
Without a deal, workers say they’re willing to strike as of 10:59 p.m. on September 17.
The union says a deal is possible but both sides are “a long way apart.”
