GM strikes in Oshawa unlawful, board rules
Union fighting planned closure of city’s factory
The Ontario Labour Relations Board has ruled that members of Unifor engaged in unlawful strikes in their efforts to protest the planned closure of the General Motors assembly plant in Oshawa.
The ruling, dated Feb. 22 and posted by Unifor late Monday, orders the union and its members, including president Jerry Dias, to cease and desist from engaging in, authorizing or counselling unlawful strikes.
General Motors Canada asked the board earlier in February to stop “any further illegal activities” after several job actions by Unifor members following the news that the Oshawa plant would close later this year.
The company said Tuesday it supports the ruling, but declined to comment further. Unifor declined to comment.
The union argued in its filing to the board that it hadn’t violated the law and that the cited incidents were discrete and resolved quickly.
GM’s allegations focused on several incidents where union members halted work or engaged in demonstrations, including on Nov. 26, when the company announced the closure, and on Jan. 9, when it confirmed it wouldn’t reconsider its decision. The company also sought compensation for unspecified costs incurred due to the protests, which the labour board did not grant in its decision.
Unifor said in its response that it denied any violations of the law and that the cited incidents were discrete and resolved quickly.
It added that a recent economic impact study shows the closure would result in 24,000 jobs lost across the country by 2025, when taking into account the impact on suppliers who make parts for the auto giant.
The ruling also covers actions by employees at auto parts suppliers Inteva and Lear, who temporarily walked off the job in separate actions protesting the GM Oshawa closure.
Unifor submissions to the board also said GM has violated “express language” in that agreement that “promised it would not close or sell any plant” until September 2020, when their contract was set to expire.
The union filed a separate grievance on the plant closure in late 2018 that has yet to be ruled on.
The union has said it is also exploring legal options to prevent the closure, arguing that GM is in violation of an agreement to not close any plants until September 2020.
The U.S.-based United Automobile Workers union sued GM on Tuesday in federal court to prevent the Detroit-based company from closing plants in three states, claiming it’s forbidden from idling plants under UAW’s current contract.