Labour leaders rallied on the first week of shutdown at the Windsor Assembly Plant.
“Workers are facing the fallout of Trump’s unjustified and reckless trade war and let’s be clear, this isn’t a trade attack. It’s a full-on attack,” said Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) who is calling Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on the Canadian auto industry a direct hit, impacting more than a half million Canadian jobs.
Windsor isn’t the only city feeling the brunt of the tariff war. Stellantis is also pausing production at its Toluca Assembly Plant in Mexico for the month of April, as well as temporarily laying off 900 workers at plants in Michigan and Indiana.
“Whatever he’s trying to achieve in terms of getting more manufacturing back to the U.S., this is already impacting United Auto Workers (UAW) members on the southern side of the border as well,” Bruske noted.
The CLC is calling on the Canadian government to protect and support workers on this side of the border.
“If this government of Canada can move mountains in 2020 to save Bay Street, they sure as (expletive) can save Main Street in 2025,” said Bruske, who suggests reducing interest rates on credit cards and lines of credit to help workers facing layoffs, so they aren’t buried in debt.
“We need to give families breathing room, we need to allow deferrals on mortgages, on car loans, on personal loans, on credit cards right across the board.”
While Canadian unions stand in solidarity, that support is conflicted within the UAW Union.
“The UAW is in support of the workers in Canada”: That statement by Bill Pollock, president of UAW Local 251 headquartered in Wallaceburg, at Monday’s rally seems to contradict UAW president Shawn Fain, who has voiced his support of auto tariffs imposed by the Donald Trump administration.
“Tariffs are the solution to everything. Tariffs are a tool in the toolbox. But ultimately, we got to fix the broken trade system,” Fain said in a television interview.
With a federal election underway, labour leaders feel voters need to ask important questions to the candidates knocking on their doors.
“We need to elect leaders at this time who will continue to fight for everyday people, not just investors, not just corporate lobbyists,” said Kristen Siapus, president of CUPE Local 1393.
“We need people who understand the workers are the heart of our country.”
