CAW to hold meetings on manufacturing

The Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) Council will be holding several community meetings nationwide as part of the ongoing “Manufacturing Matters” campaign to highlight the loss of manufacturing jobs in Canada.

The CAW has expressed its disappointment with the inaction from the federal government, and the union wants legislators to take notice of the crisis in the manufacturing sector.

The council is encouraging activists and union members of all stripes to attend the meeting in their area. Attendants will learn more about the extent of job losses in the manufacturing sector, and potential courses of action for manufacturing industries.

CAW is the largest private sector union in Canada. Many employees who work in the manufacture of automotive plastic parts are unionized with the CAW.

Canadian Plastics recently spoke with CAW president Buzz Hargrove regarding the impact of automotive part supplier bankruptcies on plastic manufacturing jobs. At the time, Hargrove called on the government to open Far Eastern markets and stop favouring importers.

“The plastic industry will be impacted like other parts of the automotive industry,” said Hargrove. “If we continue on the same path as today, we will see a lot less people working in this industry and a lot less investment in North America.”The schedule for information meetings is as follows:

Kitchener, Ont. – Friday, March 30 – CAW Local 1451 Hall 12 to 4 pm
London, Ont. – Sunday, April 1 – CAW Local 27 Hall – 10 am
Thunder Bay, Ont. – Tuesday, April 3 – CAW Area Office – 10 am
Toronto, Ont. – Tuesday, April 3 – CAW Local 112 Hall – 5 pm
Halifax, N.S. – Wednesday, April 4 – CAW Area Office Hall – 1 to 4 pm
New Westminster, B.C. – Tuesday, April 24 – CAW Hall – 9:30 am to 12:30 pm
Victoria, B.C. – Wednesday, April 25 – CAW Hall – 9 am to 12 pm
Oshawa, Ont. – Saturday, April 28 – CAW Local 222 Hall – 9 am

For more information, contact Tony Leah at 416-274-1875.