CAW members ratify new three year agreement with General Motors

TORONTO, May 17 /PRNewswire/ - CAW members working at General
Motors locations across Ontario have ratified a new collective agreement by 84
per cent following a series of meetings held May 16 and May 17. This agreement
covers approximately 13,000 CAW members at General Motors.
The agreement closely follows a pattern established at Ford two weeks
earlier and includes product commitments by General Motors to both the Oshawa
Car and Truck plant and the St. Catharines facilities.
"We entered this round of bargaining knowing the unprecedented economic
and political challenges facing auto workers in Canada," said CAW President
Buzz Hargrove. "Despite the odds being stacked against us we were committed to
reaching an agreement that would protect the important gains our union has
made over the years. I'm pleased to say that we did that."
The new three-year agreement resists two-tier wages and provides
productivity and quality bonuses, improved restructuring incentives, benefit
improvements, COLA increases in both second and third years and improved
language on health and safety issues among other gains.
"I commend the work of our Master Bargaining Committee members who did a
tremendous job negotiating a strong settlement in the face of incredible
adversity," said Chris Buckley, CAW/GM master bargaining committee chairperson
and president of CAW Local 222.
The union also negotiated an historic close-out agreement for Local 1973
members at GM's Windsor Transmission plant. During bargaining the company
announced that the plant will close in 2010, eliminating approximately 1,400
jobs.
The union reached early agreements with both General Motors and Chrysler
Thursday morning, more than four months before the contract expiration.
The results by location are as follows:

CAW Local 1973, Windsor
Production: 98% in favour
Skilled Trades: 94 % in favour
Combined total: 97% in favour

CAW Local 199, St. Catharines
Production: 86% in favour
Skilled Trades: 89% in favour
Combined total: 86% in favour

CAW Local 222, Oshawa
Production: 84% in favour
Skilled Trades: 69% in favour
Combined total: 80% in favour

CAW Local 636, Woodstock
Production: 73% in favour
Skilled Trades: 83% in favour
Combined total: 73% in favour
Combined Production: 87%
Combined Skilled Trades: 78%

SOURCE Canadian Auto Workers

on each location, please contact CAW Communications: Shannon Devine, (cell)
(416) 302-1699 or Angelo DiCaro (cell) (416) 606-6311