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TORONTO, Jan. 13, 2015 /CNW/ - Chrysler's announcement that it is investing $2 billion in its Windsor minivan plant shows the importance of the facility and the value of its trained and experienced workforce, Unifor National President Jerry Dias says.
"Nothing is more valuable to a company than a skilled and dedicated workforce," Dias said. "With this announcement, Chrysler is recognizing that the plant where it launched the minivan is the ideal place to bring the vehicle in the modern era."
Fiat Chrysler chief executive Sergio Marchionne released the amount this week at the Detroit Auto Show, where he also confirmed that a new hybrid minivan will be built at the plant. It was first time the company has said how much the planned three-month upgrade and expansion scheduled to begin next month will cost.
Dias said the announcement will have ripple effects throughout the economy, citing studies that have shown that every job in a major auto plant create nine others throughout the economy in the auto parts and other industries.
He called on the provincial and federal governments to work with labour and industry to develop an auto strategy so Canada can build on a spate of recent investment announcements to help ensure a stable future for the industry.
"Strong communities and bright futures for our young people means we need to create more good jobs in this country," Dias said. "We all have a role in making that happen."
Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing more than 305,000 workers, including 21,000 in the auto sector. It was formed Labour Day weekend 2013 when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers unions merged. Unifor works to protect its members and play a leadership role in building thriving, safe workplaces and a strong economy so all workers in Canada have a good job, a decent standard of living and greater equality.
SOURCE Unifor
