GM, Unifor to make joint announcement about Oshawa plant

The heads of Unifor and General Motors Canada are set to make an announcement this morning about the future of operations in Oshawa, Ont.

A statement from the union’s Local 222 says national president Jerry Dias and Travis Hester, GM Canada’s president and managing director, will hold a news conference in Toronto starting at 11 a.m. ET.

The statement offers few other details, other than the announcement will concern “operations in Oshawa.”

GM announced last November it would cease production at the plant by the end of 2019, affecting about 2,600 workers.

In March, Unifor suspended a media campaign against GM amid what the union called productive talks with the automaker on the future of the plant.

The union said the company had been clear it wouldn’t extend vehicle manufacturing in Oshawa beyond the end of the year, but acknowledged there is potential to transform operations to maintain some jobs.