Ford and Canadian Workers in Tentative Deal

The following is an excerpt from an article in:


The New York Times
Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Ford and Canadian Workers in Tentative Deal

By IAN AUSTEN

OTTAWA — The Canadian Auto Workers union reached a tentative contract deal with the Ford Motor Company of Canada on Monday just hours before a midnight strike deadline.

And Monday night, after reaching the accord, Ken Lewenza, the president of the union, said the union had extended contract negotiations with General Motors of Canada and Chrysler Canada. He warned, however, that the two automakers would face a strike unless they agreed to the same key terms as Ford.

“The gap is still miles apart because we have a tremendous amount of work,” Mr. Lewenza said. “There’s so many issues on the table it would impossible for General Motors and Chrysler’s to respond.”

The extension followed the arrival at the negotiations in downtown Toronto of two senior executives from Detroit: Al Iacobelli, the vice president for employee relations at Chrysler, and Cathy Clegg, General Motors’ vice president for labor relations.

Mr. Lewenza said the extension was intended to give the companies time to study the tentative agreement reached with Ford. If the union believes they are procrastinating, he said, it will give two automakers 24 hours notice of a strike.

“Our patience and anxieties in the workplace only have so much time,” Mr. Lewenza said.

While the union gave concessions to Ford on wages and pensions, it said it was still able to uphold its major negotiating principles. Ford agreed to gradually rehire about 600 union members who were laid off from its plants, and it committed to produce a new line of vehicles at its assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario.

It is a good deal in these economic times, Mr. Lewenza told a news conference. “It’s far from a carry-over agreement.”

Mr. Lewenza emphasized that the union would not budge on its traditional approach of requiring all three Detroit-based companies to accept the same key contract terms, a system known as pattern bargaining.

For more, visit www.nytimes.com.

Canadian Dollar’s Strength a Factor in Autoworkers Talks

The following is an excerpt from an article in 

The New York Times
Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Canadian Dollar’s Strength a Factor in Autoworkers Talks

By IAN AUSTEN

OSHAWA, Ontario — For many in Canada, the rise of the Canadian dollar to parity with its American counterpart is more a source of anxiety than pride.

Prominent among those concerned are the 20,600 Canadian Auto Workers union members employed by the Detroit Three. Contract talks for the industry open here on Tuesday. But the dollar’s high value, which most economists anticipate will continue, has more than obliterated the traditional cost advantage Canadian auto plants once enjoyed.

In 2009, when contracts were renegotiated after the rescue of General Motors and Chrysler, the Canadian dollar was worth about 78 American cents. Last week, it traded briefly at just over $1.

Regardless of the outcome of those talks, the strong currency, and higher wages for Canadian workers, seem likely to continue the shrinking of the Canadian auto industry since its peak in 1999. The underlying issue is how much that decline will continue.

Detroit automakers have been scaling back their operations in Canada at a growing pace even as they add workers and shifts in the United States.

Last September, Ford Motor Company of Canada closed a plant that made taxis, police cruisers and Lincoln Town Cars, eliminating 1,500 jobs. General Motors of Canada plans to close one of two assembly plants in this city east of Toronto and will move some of its production to a mothballed Saturn plant in Tennessee, laying off another 2,000 workers. The future of other Canadian auto factories, including Chrysler’s vast minivan plant in Windsor, Ontario, remains murky.

Over all, factory closings by the Detroit automakers have lowered Canada’s vehicle production from three million cars and trucks in 1999 to 2.1 million last year, despite offsetting factory openings and expansions by the Canadian arms of Toyota and Honda.

The number of Canadian Auto Workers members employed by the Detroit Three has fallen by 28,200 over that time. In 2011, a booming year for North American car sales, production grew by 3.2 percent in Canada, 14.4 percent in Mexico and 11.5 percent in the United States.

While a number of factors have led to Canada’s steady decline as an automaker, the new contracts for the C.A.W. workers will probably play a critical role in determining Detroit’s future investment plans in the country.

For more, visit www.nytimes.com.

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PRESS RELEASE

Cisco Applauds Canadian Federal Budget Support for Greater Use of Telepresence Technology

Toronto, ON  – March 30, 2012 – As a company focused on positively impacting innovation and productivity, Cisco Canada applauds the Government of Canada for leading by example in utilizing technology to increase productivity. 

"This budget demonstrates that the Government of Canada is continuing to embrace new technologies such as telepresence, and is leading the world in recognizing the impact technology can have on improving productivity," said Nitin Kawale, president, Cisco Canada. "I commend Minister Flaherty and Prime Minister Harper for continuing to show leadership in modernizing public service delivery." 

In the budget document, the Government states it "will explore ways to increase its productivity by using telepresence and other remote conferencing technologies more extensively. Telepresence technology is similar to videoconferencing; however, it enables participants to see life-size, full-motion video with high-quality sound. The Government will develop a strategy to expand the use of telepresence technology and other remote meeting solutions. Investments in this technology will be financed by reductions in travel expenses."

Many public and private sector organizations use TelePresence to realize meaningful productivity gains and drive process change. "The Government of Canada and Minister Flaherty are on the right track with this budget initiative," added Kawale.

About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Cisco Canada Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco, has offices across Canada dedicated to customer support, sales and service. For ongoing news, visit http://newsroom.cisco.com/canada/.

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