The CAW local 444 showed much solidarity Thursday morning as they banded together at the Toromont/Caterpillar dealership in Maidstone to hold an information picket line to protest against the lockout of Electro-Motive plant workers.
This demonstration is only part of a national effort to bring awareness to U.S. based Caterpillar’s actions, where less than one month ago, its London locomotive plant locked out their employees over a contract disagreement.
CBC News reported that according to the union, dealerships and service centres from across the nation will act as a hub for union members to greet customers at picket lines, and to encourage them to tell the company that they want fairness for the locked-out workers.
One of the main reasons for the contract dispute is that Caterpillar, regardless of making record high sales and a profit of nearly $5 billion US in 2010, wants to cut employee wages by 50 per cent.
Nelson Sarty, a locked-out employee, told CBC News that he is currently making $35/hr, but according to the contract, the company wants to decrease his wage down to $18/hr.
“This isn't a fight just about us. It's a fight for the middle class across Canada,” he said.
With reference to the company’s previous years earnings, Local 444 president Rick Laporte said that, “This is a company that’s certainly not struggling.
“There's no reason they can't at least continue to give their workers what they've been given over the last number of years.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you like this article? You can leave a comment or share it via social media tools such as Facebook or Twitter, and you can also subscribe by clicking the "subscribe"button above to receive an e-mail every time a new article is published by Nam Tran. You can also read more of Tran’s articles by visiting his website at Liberatemind.com.
Comments