Union not expecting big changes as FCA CEO leaves

Calgary native Buckingham ready to take over the helm at car manufacturer

WINDSOR Unifor national president Jerry Dias said he doesn’t expect the changes in the North American executive suites of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to negatively affect the union’s relations with the automaker.

Reid Bigland, FCA’S head of U.S. sales and Ceo/president of its Canadian operations, announced Wednesday he was leaving the company April 3. Bigland also heads up FCA’S highly profitable Ram brand.

“It has been a privilege to have been part of the FCA family and to have worked alongside our dealer business partners,” Bigland said in a released statement.

Calgary native and current FCA Canada chief operating officer David Buckingham will replace Bigland at the company’s Windsor headquarters.

“I don’t foresee any problems (dealing with Buckingham),” Dias said.

“There’s a comfort in a Canadian, with a good knowledge of the Canadian operations, taking over. That bodes well.”

Buckingham, who calls Windsor home, has been COO of Chrysler’s Canadian operations since 2011.

The University of Calgary graduate (bachelor or arts, 1988) joined the company as an administrative trainee in 1988. He held a number of sales and marketing positions within the automaker before becoming vice-president of sales in 2006.

“Dave is a smart car guy,” Dias said. “He’s learned a lot fast from Reid.

“I’ve had dealings with him before and he’s straightforward. I like that.”

Dias doesn’t expect the personnel changes at FCA will have much effect on this year’s contract negotiations. He said the personalities involved don’t change the challenging negotiations looming ahead in late summer.

“It helps that he (Buckingham) understands the importance of the third shift in Windsor,” said Dias, referencing last week’s announcement the company planned to eliminate the shift and 1,500 jobs June 29.

“We’ve been blunt about what needs to happen in order to avoid a work disruption. We’ve been talking with the company for a couple years about a second product to support the Pacifica and Voyageur at the Windsor Assembly Plant.”

In addition to job security for the 6,100 Windsor workers, Dias said there are issues at FCA’S Brampton plant and the Etobicoke casting plant.

The Brampton plant produces the Dodge Challenger and Charger and the Chrysler 300.

Dias admitted he wasn’t surprised to see Bigland leave FCA after launching a federal whistleblower lawsuit eight months ago against the company over his 2018 compensation package.

Bigland alleges the company held back 90 per cent (US$1.8 million) of his compensation in retaliation for his co-operating with a U.S. regulatory investigation into claims FCA falsely reported monthly car sales figures up until 2016.

The company paid US$40 million last year to settle the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s charges.