Chairpersons Report
June 28, 2023
The Company has been making headlines in the US & Canada for their numerous investment announcements across the corporation over the last several weeks and months. These investments are part of the Company’s dual strategy to invest in the next generation ICE products and towards the Battery Electric Vehicle transition. As we know from our February 20th announcement, we will be playing an important role in both strategies for the Company. Last Friday GM was announced as the #1 Automaker by J.D. Power for the 2nd year in a row. Best in quality awards went towards the Escalade, Tahoe, Camaro, and the Sierra which all take our V8 engines. Best in quality also went towards the Corvette which takes our DCT transmission. And best in quality also went towards the Buick Enclave which takes our V6 engine. We take pride in the quality of our work here in St. Catharines and its shows with industry leading recognition like this. A huge thankyou to all members for your hard work!
News around the plant
Local Bargaining is scheduled to begin the week of July 17th.
As Bargaining draws closer, the National & Local Union will ensure a steady stream of communication to keep the membership informed with facts to minimize rumor and misinformation. Communication will come in many forms such as videos, social media posts, text blast, printed flyers/posters, media releases for general coverage and Email-blasts. Our Local Union Facebook group will be our primary place to get the latest updates. The QR code on the back of this report is a direct link to that Facebook page. Click the join button and an administrator will add you to the group. This is available to all active members including TPTs.
On June 5th COLA was updated as per paragraphs 101-104 in the Master Agreement. The new COLA dollar amount is $1.26 which is an increase from $0.65. Any questions regarding COLA can be raised to your Shop Committeeperson.
The Union has already started discussions with Local Management pertaining to the eventual D-rating of V6 by the end of the year and the migration of members that will naturally take place. These conversations are a priority to the Union and will continue throughout bargaining. Updating your transfers is an option for members who don’t want to ride V6 out to the end.
Canada Day Weekend – the holiday is observed on Friday, June 30th. It is NOT a 4-day weekend. The Monday after the holiday is a regular scheduled shift.
Unifor Member Appreciation Day at Canada’s Wonderland is Sunday, July 9th. See the featured post on the Unions Facebook page or call the Union Hall for details on subsidized pricing for active and retired members and their dependents.
To avoid force-ins on Labour Day Weekend – V8, GF6 departments should see sign-up sheets for Labour Day Weekend that will be removed near the end of July. This is to provide as much notice as possible for members to make plans with their families. This method will identify members who wish to volunteer to work these premium days and will leave time to train TPTs to backfill openings to avoid any force-ins of seniority members on negotiated holidays. The same approach will be used for Thanksgiving weekend.
Our Local will be participating in the 2023 Merritton Labour Day Parade and hosting its annual Labour Day Celebration at the Union Hall. Members are invited and encouraged to walk in the parade and join us for the family and friends’ celebration, which will feature a car show, BBQ, games, prizes and much more!
Last week we participated in the Buddy Up Campaign – an initiative created for men by men, encouraging them to have real conversations with their buddies and to support them if they’re struggling with thoughts of suicide. With men representing 3 out of 4 suicides in Canada and most of our plant being made up of men, this was an important initiative for us to support. The week focused on awareness, sharing resources and included a gate collection in support of Distress Centre of Niagara. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the gate collection – we raised a total of $1,673.60 that will go to support the lifesaving support Distress Centre provides to the Niagara Region! The overall message of the week is something that we should keep in mind going forward – check in on your buddies and to ask them “How are you really doing?” If you are concerned about a coworker, friend or loved one, offer support and connect them with the right resources. As a reminder, we have Union Counsellors onsite who are available for all members and their loved ones. They can offer you support and connect you with mental health help, if needed. Confidentiality is deeply respected. Alex Latham 289-969-6884 alex.latham@gm.com, Jessica McCourt 289-228-5967 jessica.m.mccourt@gm.com. Substance Abuse Representative, Mike Gilbert 905-658-2829 michael.j.gilbert@gm.com
Volumes around the plant
Volumes in the plant are stable with steady demand.
V6 – is steady with 2 shifts in assembly and 3 shifts in machining with overtime drying up.
DCT – has been building steady on one shift for 6 weeks due to improved supplier issues. In the weeks ahead they will be transitioning to a new model change MY24 mlsd.
V8 – assembly is manning up to populate a 3rd shift for the first time. They are scheduled to begin rotating the week of July 10th. Machining has a strong schedule of three shifts with overtime for the foreseeable future. The concern for our V8 is the supply of blocks and heads as these parts are in high demand amongst the 4 plants making the V8 engine plants. There may be intermittent disruptions in the supply chain that may impact us but the schedule is strong as Arlington Texas and Oshawa will take all the engines we can make.
SVRs & TPTs – over the last month the Company has taken on additional TPTs to help populate the 2nd shift in GF6 assembly and the 3rd shift in V8 assembly. SVRs have also been brought in to help grant additional prime time vacation requests for seniority members. After Labour Day weekend the SVRs are scheduled to return to school. The Union will continue to drive the ongoing conversations with the Company for the hiring of TPTs to full time status.
Prime Time vacation season is upon us and I want to take this opportunity to encourage the membership whether you are at work or at play to do so safely.
Written on behalf of the Bargaining Committee
Trevor Longpre
GM Unit Plant Chairperson
Local 199 St. Catharines
cope343/nw
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