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MONTREAL–Retired workers – and former members of the union Unifor – who worked at the plant on Dickson Street in Montreal gathered to mark the sad anniversary of the bankruptcy of MABE Canada, which resulted in major losses for them. The rally was held in front of the plant at 5778 Notre-Dame Street East in Montreal.
“For the past 10 years, Unifor has stood by the retirees and former employees of MABE in their ongoing fight for respect and justice,” said Unifor Québec director Daniel Cloutier. “The employer has tried to wear them down, but they are a resilient group and they can count on Unifor’s unwavering support.”
The retirees and active employees of MABE lost the equivalent of nearly 22% of their pension as well as the protection of their group and life insurance due to the bankruptcy, filed in August 2014.
Over the past decade, the group of retirees and former employees have waged a battle against the company before the courts, with the support of their former union Unifor. The retirees have also filed a class action lawsuit. Since the beginning, the company has used various tactics to draw out the proceedings, but Unifor and the retirees have steadfastly refused to back down.
A campaign to boycott GE, Hotpoint, McClary and Moffat brand appliances remains in effect. This campaign was expanded to include HAEIR, a major Chinese player in this sector that has acquired a significant stake in GE. The public has been invited to support this boycott campaign.
Owned successively by GE, CAMCO and MABE over the years, the MABE plant was part of Montreal’s industrial history, having been built by the federal government during the Second World War to manufacture tanks.
In the late1940s, General Electric acquired the plant and began producing household appliances. Later renamed CAMCO, the plant was sold in 2008 to the Mexican company MABE. MABE Canada closed it in August 2014 and declared bankruptcy two weeks later.
The parent company MABE was unaffected by the bankruptcy and has continued business as usual, sparking anger among the retirees. Over the years, thousands of workers devoted their active lives to these companies.
About Unifor
Unifor is the largest private-sector union in Quebec and Canada, with more than 320,000 members in all sectors of the economy. Unifor fights for workers and their rights. It is also actively engaged in the fight for equality and social justice at home and abroad, and aspires to ensure a better future by bringing about progressive change. In Quebec, Unifor represents close to 55,000 members and is affiliated with Quebec’s largest central labour body, the Quebec Federation of Labour (QFL).
Source: Unifor Québec www.uniforquebec.org
For information: Renaud Plante, (514) 850-2553 @email
