Topic: CAW 'furious' at Ontario over pensions

[Thinking Out Loud]

Ontario Puts Auto Workers on Notice

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090422.wpension0422/BNStory/Front/home

[toolatecrew]

I like this comment. It about sums up the feelings of the majority (well over 65%)

He earlier said it would be unfair to ask Ontarians to rescue pensioners of GM, because many of them do not have pensions of their own. Many seniors have seen their retirement nest eggs plunge in value, following the onset of the recession, he added.

“If we look to those without pensions to restore vitality to those who benefit from those pensions, I'm not sure that's fair,” he said. “We're all in this together.”

People without pensions are not responsible for a failure of an agreement between employees (CAW)and a Publicly Held Company (GM).

[safristi]

..the most cogent response of those i have scanned is from "Squibb of Oakville..is that u railton )....

  "These parties have KNOWINGLY taken advantage of an exception for which they(GM&the Union) lobbied the Rae NDP Gov (Change the PBA (public benefit act?)) in 1992)....which allowed them to RENEGOTIATE UNAFFORDABLE BENEFITS!!! rather than PROPERLY FUND "their" PENSION PLAN!!!?...WDF why the fack???....so no strike?.......(as an aside..how many pension plans DON't have employees contributing??? that's a FREE LUNCH..most are 60/40 ar thereabouts employer/employee)
 
  ....this is the case of the boy who murdered his parents and then threw himself at the mercy of the court because he was an ORPHAN... ................

 No doubt public opinion will support DOLT-on Mc Squinty...the legal case will be "COMPLICATED"...who'd a thunk  .............butt! the Law is an arse...and GM & the UNION have  GROSSLY ABUSED THE situation".............well said Sir..........

[barrie1]

I would like to see actual proof that the Union had allowed this to happen as thats not bargaining in the workers faith at all. The Gov has totally dropped the ball on this fund and purposely allowed it to be underfunded like they have done with workers rights so many times before in this Country. How many other Companys have sold out and the workers even those of long standing lost all their pensions and rights because a American Company walked in and bought the business. GM and the Gov made the deal but NOT the Union as they don't have the authority to do so at all. They have NO reason to cut the workers throats but the other 2 do as its money in their pockets instead of ours who have earned it. Just more Gov greed and theft as usual. 

[ovr50]

Good thing you have the "government" to blame for all the troubles, Barrie. 

[toolatecrew]

Last summer, Buzz Hargrove, the soon to be former President of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), insisted – along with General Motors (GM) executives – that pension fears were unwarranted. Asked about the possibility of a worst case scenario that included GM pensions being reduced, Hargrove responded that this would be “so remote a possibility it's not worth speculating on” (Toronto Star, August 8, 2008).

PROOF

Whatever arrangement the Rae government had with General Motors in the spring of 1992, it is a sure bet that Bob White and the CAW knew about it. Bob Rae wouldn't have made such a deal with GM without advising or consulting the CAW. It was Bob White who was instrumental in luring Rae to provincial politics and using the resources and organizational skill of the union to help Rae to a victory in the 1982 Ontario NDP leadership race. Whether or not the CAW was originally cautious or even opposed to Rae's proposal, they did not publicly attack the NDP for the change.

If CAW was opposed you can be sure as heck they would not be SILENT if they had an issue with it. When have they stayed silent about something like this in the past? NEVER

Author:Jim Reid is a union activist and a supporter of Workers for Union Renewal.

http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/bullet203.html


Point proved
End of story

[Oz]

I would like to see actual proof that the Union had allowed this to happen as thats not bargaining in the workers faith at all. The Gov has totally dropped the ball on this fund and purposely allowed it to be underfunded like they have done with workers rights so many times before in this Country. How many other Companys have sold out and the workers even those of long standing lost all their pensions and rights because a American Company walked in and bought the business. GM and the Gov made the deal but NOT the Union as they don't have the authority to do so at all. They have NO reason to cut the workers throats but the other 2 do as its money in their pockets instead of ours who have earned it. Just more Gov greed and theft as usual. 

Its in the world news, everyone knows. Go read about it.

 

[RunsinLight]

Does the government even guarantee the pensions of their own employees?  I can see getting their contributions back maybe. How this should be handled I don't know. But I do think current retired people should be handled separately then currently employed, referring to the CAW\Ontario government situation that is.