Workers at General Motors’ Oshawa, Ontario assembly plant have walked out today in protest of the plant’s closure. Earlier today GM confirmed it will not allocate any new products to Oshawa and four other North American plans after 2019.
Part of the Unifor Trade Union, the workers have walked out “in protest” of the announcement according to a Unifor spokesperson. There are 2,973 employees at the Oshawa assembly plant represented by Unifor.
It is unclear how long the employees plan to stay off the job in protest. Current plans call for the Oshawa plant to shut it doors by the end of 2019. The plant is currently producing the Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Impala and the last-generation (K2XX) Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. The car models are expected to cease production in mid-2019, while the trucks will last until sometime in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Canadian officials have promised aid to the workers impacted by the Oshawa plant closures.
Does the union still pay them when on strike?