Canadian GM strike spills over as layoffs hit other parts plants
MONTREAL (Reuters) - A strike that began Sunday at a Canadian General Motors Co plant is having a ripple effect, with the company temporarily laying off workers at three parts facilities on Thursday. A spokesman for Canada’s Unifor union, which represents workers at a General Motors transmission factory in Ontario, said 255 of the 350 employees would be laid off temporarily. Additional workers at two U.S. engine plants, in Spring Hill, Tennessee, and the Flint Engine Operations in Michigan would also be affected temporarily, a GM spokesman said. He declined to specify the number of job losses. A spokesman for the United Auto Workers union was not immediately available to comment. Workers at the three affected facilities produce parts that supply GM's CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. The factory, which employs about 2,700 workers, produces GM's strong-selling Chevrolet Equinox. Unifor said its members went on strike as of late Sunday evening after talks on a tentative agreement with the automaker failed. The union was in talks with GM about the company’s decision to cut jobs and shift some production work to Mexico. (Reporting by Allison Lampert; Editing by Dan Grebler)
