General Motors Will Allot More Product to Oshawa Besides Pickups: Sources

After a long-fought public relations campaign by General Motors Canada and Unifor, and a collective agreement that sees Unifor-GM temporary workers converted to full-time employment, Oshawa Assembly is on the up as pickup truck final assembly will run alongside Cadillac XTS production in the future.

However, that truck production can’t sustain Oshawa Assembly in the long-term, and sources within the company are saying more product is on the way for the beleaguered plant.

According to two General Motors representatives, one on each side of the border, Oshawa will produce vehicles in addition to the still unannounced pickup final assembly and Cadillac XTS.

The representatives wouldn’t say what product will come to Oshawa as the decision-making process is still ongoing.

A representative from Unifor Local 222 was unavailable to speak to the additional production allotment over the weekend.

Negotiations between General Motors Canada and Unifor went down to the wire in September as the two parties hammered out a deal to avoid a strike. The deal, approved by Unifor membership, sees no jobs lost and product committed to the century-old plant. About 700 temporary workers moved to full-time employment. In announcing the deal, Unifor president Jerry Dias stated Oshawa would be the only North American plant within GM’s portfolio capable of producing both cars and trucks.

On the other side of the coin, Oshawa’s older Consolidated Line will close, likely in 2017 according to sources. A weaker pension package was also part of the deal.

Currently, Oshawa produces the Cadillac XTS, a model scheduled to run its course in 2019. Buick Regal and Chevrolet Equinox production will move to other plants full-time when as General Motors introduces next-generation replacements. The future of Impala production is uncertain, while Impala Limited production ceased this past summer. Camaro production moved to Michigan in November 2015.

A recent report stated General Motors could have up to 40 percent of the money invested in its Canadian operations handed back by the Ontario and Canadian governments, for a total of $220 million or $56,410 per GM Canada autoworker.