OSAHWA, Ont. - The Canadian Auto Workers union says younger workers at a General Motors truck plant in Oshawa, Ont., will be able to keep their jobs, but the solution is still nothing more than a "bandage on a very, very deep wound."
The union says more than 2,600 senior workers have agreed to early retirement or buyout packages, offsetting the more than 2,000 job cuts the union was facing.
Union Local 222 president Chris Buckley says the retirement packages are attractive, and the willingness of older members to accept the deal has made "the very best out of a terrible situation."
But he says he's "not doing cartwheels with joy" because the closure of the truck plant next July still means a lot of lost jobs and lost economic development for Oshawa and the surrounding region.
Earlier this year, GM announced it would be closing the plant due to decreased demand for gas-guzzling trucks.
Buckley says the union continues to lobby the federal government to help the auto manufacturing industry deal with unfair trade, a high Canadian dollar and rising fuel costs.
He also predicted there might be a significant number of workers who take a buyout option before the end of the year if the industry doesn't strengthen.
"Obviously there will be a percentage of our members that are just going to say, `Hey, the uncertainty is just too high in the auto industry these days,"' Buckley said.
"If some members have an opportunity to seek employment elsewhere or look at a different career opportunity, it might be worth their while to take their buyout package and cut their ties with General Motors and get out of the auto industry altogether."
