GM News: GM To Close Down Oshawa Consolidated Line *UPDATED*

[William Maley]

William Maley

Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

June 1, 2012

General Motors is expected to announce today the closing of the Oshawa Consolidated Line. The line currently builds the Chevy Impala and overflow production of the Equinox.

General Motors told workers this morning the closure will happen on June 1, 2013 and layoff around 2,000 people. Chris Buckley, president of CAW Local 222 is not happy with the decision.

“GM announced to us this morning their plans to close the plant. We are extremely offended. Our members. both active and retired, made huge sacrifices to help save this company during their auto crisis. GM’s way of rewarding Canadian autoworkers is to throw them onto the street,” Buckley told the Windsor Star today.

Production of the Impala will move to the Detroit-Hamtramck plant. Chevrolet Equinox production will move to Spring Hill, Tenn.

We'll be keeping an eye out for an official announcement from GM.

Source: The Truth About Cars, The Globe & Mail, The Windsor Star

UPDATE: The Truth About Cars has gotten some comments from GM about Oshawa Consolidated Line closing. Originally, the line was supposed to close down in 2008, based on plans made in 2005. However, demand for the Equinox and Impala was so high, the plant was left open.

The closing will take place in shifts. Third shift will be phased out in the forth quarter of this year, while second shift will follow in the first quarter of 2013. Production will end will when the final W-Body Impala rolls of the line later in 2013.

There is somewhat good news for the laid-off workers. GM could add a third shift to the the Oshawa flex plant that builds the Chevrolet Camaro, Buick Regal, Cadillac XTS, and the next-generation Impala if additional capacity is needed. The 2,000 laid-off workers will have first shot at applying for the jobs.

Source: The Truth About Cars

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[NOS2006]

Rumor had it when I was constantly in Oshawa at the end of last year that an Ute (El Camino) and small truck would take over the Impala/Equinox line since the Equinox was moving and the Impala would be running on the main line with the XTS...

[GMTruckGuy74]

Maybe they'll give the Consolidated Line the SS Performance Sedan for 2014??

[Robert Hall]

So this is a different plant at Oshawa from where they build the Camaro?

Edited June 1, 2012 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[loki]

union knows not of what management wants to do, union gets upset and goes public, to the announcement.... little immature....

[William Maley]

So this is a different plant at Oshawa from where they build the Camaro?

Yes

Maybe they'll give the Consolidated Line the SS Performance Sedan for 2014??

No.

[G. David Felt]

Unions just have no common sense let alone intelligence to actually see what needs to be done to help save jobs and create efficiencies to save a place. Seems US unions are realizing they need to come inline with world demands on pay and benefits for basic manual task jobs.

[A Horse With No Name]

One can hope...brother of a co worker made 70K sweeping floors at a ford Truck plant in New Jersey.

I am all for workers rights, but the union thing is out of control.

[G. David Felt]

One can hope...brother of a co worker made 70K sweeping floors at a ford Truck plant in New Jersey.

I am all for workers rights, but the union thing is out of control.

Freakin crazy when you can be paid 70K for sweeping floors.

[daves87rs]

Ouch...

[hyperv6]

Here is a little they left out

#1 The Nox line here always was a temporary line to catch the needed production of the popular Nox. Even today CAMI Ingersol is the primary plant for the Nox and Terrain and will remain so for th next 3 years. Note they still build the majority of Nox, Terrains and SRX in Ingersol Canada. My Terrain is a Ingersol build.

#2 Body shells have had to be trucked from Ingersols body shop as there is no body shop for the Nox in Oshawa. Truck Trains have been moving Bodies at I believe 5-6 at a time between plants to be assembled.

#3 Oshawa is a very large plant and they are getting the New Impala and XTS..Lines will be down for a while for change over. This could last appox 6 months. This is already going on.

#3 The Regal was just moved there not long ago so GM is not giving up on the plant.

#4 the future of the Camaro could be in flux here. GM has not anounced where the car will be built but I expect the Alpha Camaro will be kept here. In the end I do think the deal will keep the Camaro in Canada but they can move it to another plant.

#5 Depending on the popularity the Zeta based Chevy Holdens could have an outside shot of coming here. The police package is a problem where some departments can not buy it due to where it was built. A SS model and possible higher volume V6 models/ute could make it cheaper to build here if needed if the global economy keeps up at what they are doing. We still have to remember Holden needs to keep production up at their plant too. I am not holding my breath on this but it is a possibility.

#6 The new Nox on the Delta II in late 2014 for 2015 is more in line for the Spring Hill plant. GM has tried to move more production to the US since the bail out like the Sonic etc.

#7 All these plants are very flexible and GM has not made many plans public till late in the game. Just because they are not talking does not mean they have not plans.

#8 Layoffs have always been a part of the auto industry. It is never a good time but it happens and most union workers know that. Oshawa is a major plant for GM and they will not walk away. There could be some down time and deals cut witht he unions but the plant will remain as long as the unions is compeitive vs other GM plants. The Union locals willing to work with GM get the jobs. Lordstown learned that on the Cruze as have other plants.

#9 Finally the Union right now is just getting loud because they do not know what is going to happen or they do not like the deal they were offered. They are just trying to get public sediment on their side to force GM's hand. This is just part of the game in negotiating a new deal for a new line in the futrue. This is not the first time we have seen this nor the last.

I still think the Camaro will be moved to a new line at Oshawa or other plant in Canada and the Zeta line may be used for some of the new VF models. Keep in mind they could build RWD and FWD cars on this line per Scott Settlmire a few years ago. It is a very flexible plant.

This is just a story based on a union gripe and a media that did not get all the facts. Go figure.

It is time for the public to learn as most of us here that there is much more going on at GM than what we are hearing. The Camaro was pretty much spelled out 5-6 years ahead while today GM only spoke public on the SS sedan about 15 months ahead.

Edited June 2, 2012 by hyperv6

[riviera74]

Translation: Stay tuned to GM announcements and ignore the whines of the CAW/UAW .

[A Horse With No Name]

Agree with Riv...I like what I see of the new GM!

[hyperv6]

Translation: Stay tuned to GM announcements and ignore the whines of the CAW/UAW .

A most accurate statment.