GM Canada to cut shift at Oshawa Assembly Plant, union calls move ’reckless’

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It could be the end of the line – well, the Third line – for GM workers in Oshawa this November.

News surfaced Friday morning that a blow beneath the belt was being dealt to a quarter of the 3,000 workforce – it coming from below the 49th parallel and U.S. President Donald Trump and his ongoing 25% tariffs affecting Canadian-built vehicles that was implemented on April 3.

Jeff Gray, president of UNIFOR Local 222, which represents the GM workers in Oshawa, was none too pleased.

“It will affect 700 plus workers in the plant, but we also have a supply chain that feeds the plant,” said Gray. “So you are looking at an additional 1,500 members that are going to lose their jobs.”

“So it is absolutely devastating news,” he added.

“We are losing part of our volume due to General Motors bending a knee too Donald Trump in the United States,” said Gray. “And that doesn’t sit well with us.”

Gray explained their are roughly 3,000 GM members who build and assemble in the truck plant and an additional 3,000 who supply all the parts “to get that truck off the line.”

There are currently three lines, or shifts, with the “Line 3” being the eight-hour night shift that starts around 10:30 p.m.

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On Friday outside Gate 4 on Park Rd. S., “Line 2” workers entering the plant for the 2:30 p.m. shift and “Line 1” workers exiting were pretty glum and wouldn’t speak about the latest news.

Most workers headed in or out of the plant were instructed not to speak to the media.

Workers only gave one sentence statements such as, “Well, not good,” when asked about potential job loses – or, “I don’t want to really talk about it,” when asked jobs being cut because of Trump’s tariffs.

Most workers bowed their heads in silence walking in and out with the only good battle cry coming from one worker who yelled, “Go Leafs Go!”