No-strike Agreement for Caw Members

September 7, 2008

The Canadian dollars rise in value has made it hard for the countrys automotive sector to attract automakers to manufacture vehicles in Canada. Some assembly plants have in fact been shut down to cut the losses absorbed by the Big Three - General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. This means a hug problem for members of the Canadian Auto Workers union.

Recently, the CAW was once again put under the spotlight as a groundbreaking agreement was reached with Magna International. The agreement states that Magna workers will be able to join the workers union if they waive their right to strike against Magna. After much deliberation in a CAW meeting, the results showed an overwhelming vote to agree to Magnas no-strike term.

CAW President Buzz Hargrove said: I feel great. I never had any doubt what would happen at the council, which is our parliament. Hargrove received much support from the union especially at the top level. But the agreement to the no-strike policy has earned him a lot of critics especially retirees. It is even pointed out that the approval of the deal can lead to a split in the union.

Organizations which have been attacking CAW for years also added ammo to their criticism saying that the unions action is a return to the time of company unionism.

Union members who are against the deal are citing that giving away the right to strike is like giving up the cause of a union. Union strikes are considered as the last recourse for workers if their demands are not met by the management. With the no-strike policy, Magna workers are faced with the risk of being treated unfairly.

For two years, the CAW labored to organize a union on Magna manufacturing facilities. But prior to the agreement, they hardly made a dent as the only have 1,000 union members from Magna. With the agreement, the CAW union will have access to 18,000 employees at 45 operations run by Magna.

For CAW, the need to have more members is the result of workforce reduction instigated by large automakers. Auto parts manufacturers, companies which produce the air pump Canada, had their production output cut down due to the decreased demand for vehicles in the United States. That means that they need to let go of workers which result to a decline in CAW union membership. With Magna employees now available to them for recruitment, officers of CAW are saying that they would have more leverage when working on a deal.

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