GM announces new jobs

By Graeme McNaughton/The Oshawa Express

While the automaker announced up to 1,000 new engineering jobs across the province, the future of General Motors’ Oshawa Assembly remains unknown.

At an announcement at the company’s research and development facility, the automaker announced it would be bringing in up to 1,000 new people for its engineering, research and development departments to help with new technologies, including electric and autonomous vehicles.

The new hires will bring the Oshawa facility to capacity, resulting in a new facility being opened in Markham. The company will also be investing $10 million to go towards its cold weather testing facility in Kapuskasing.

“We will be undertaking a significant expansion of our engineering and software work, right here in Canada, and this is preparing for the transformation and the future,” says Mark Reuss, General Motors’ executive vice-president of global product development, purchasing and supply chain.

“The new work, based right here in Canada, will focus on three key areas: active safety and vehicle dynamics technology, infotainment and connected vehicle technology, and autonomous vehicle software and controls. These are the essential ingredients and elements for the development of our connected, autonomous, shared vehicles and mobility systems that go along with that for the future.”

On hand for the announcement was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who lauded the automaker’s decision to expand its footprint in Ontario.

“We know that to create good jobs, the kind of good jobs announced today, we need to be on the cutting edge. This investment by GM in jobs that will support its operations all around the world shows we are succeeding in that regard,” he says.

“In choosing Canada to be the home base of its global center for advanced vehicle software development, GM is affirming the skills, the ingenuity and the immense potential of Canada’s workforce. It’s a perfect fit in so many ways, and I’m really glad GM saw it that way too.”

Assembly’s future unknown

While he voiced his support for the new engineering positions, Jerry Dias, the president of Unifor, says that he hopes this will be the first step towards securing more product for production in Oshawa.

“To me, this shows General Motors’ long-term commitment to Canada. So of course, we are going to deal with the future of Oshawa’s footprint while we are in bargaining,” the leader of the union representing many of the plant’s workers says.

“We have to find a solution for Oshawa, and that includes a long-term commitment. We are in preliminary discussions and we are going to continue to talk about it. General Motors knows what it’s going to take to get a settlement, and so do we.”

Dias adds that discussions will come to a head in August and September, and will not rule out the option of workers going on strike should they not see a deal that meets their needs.

“The reality is we don’t have to accept concessions. Our labour costs are cheaper than they are in the United States. It’s not about concessions, it’s about how do we make sure we have the most productive, quality plant in the chain,” he says, later adding that workers at the plant have not had a pay increase in a decade and “our members have given significantly over the years, and it’s time we bargain for job security for our members here in Oshawa.”

Jennifer French, the MPP for Oshawa, echoes Dias’ sentiment, saying that while the announcement was a good first step, there is still more work to be done in Oshawa.

“I think this is a very positive piece of the puzzle. This strengthens what we already know about Oshawa, that we are a hub for innovation. But like I said, this is one piece of the puzzle, and now we need to figure out who’s going to build the rest of the puzzle,” French tells The Oshawa Express.

“Here in Oshawa, we have so many families that are waiting in the lurch, waiting in the wings for commitment, and we really hope that we get that.”

Oshawa MP Colin Carrie also agrees, and says he hopes to see Trudeau back in town in the fall for another announcement.

“I think the question that my constituents are asking about is what about the new mandate. Unfortunately today, we didn’t hear anything new from the prime minister as far as working to…put new tools in the toolbox to help attract a mandate here. I’m hoping he’s as engaged with getting a new mandate here as he was with this photo op,” he says.

“I’m looking forward to inviting the prime minister back in September to help with an announcement that he can do something about. Let’s hope that he’s as motivated for that as he was for today.”