March 28th, 2019 - 11:32pm

CONCERNS FOCUSED ON WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES

(WINDSOR) Today Brian Masse M.P. (Windsor West), NDP Innovation, Science, Economic Development and Auto Critic, Tracey Ramsey M.P. (Essex), NDP Justice and International Trade Critic, and Cheryl Hardcastle M.P. (Windsor Tecumseh) are devastated with the news that Fiat Chrysler (FCA) announced it was eliminating the third shift at the Windsor Assembly plant starting September 30, 2019.
“My thoughts and concerns right now are with the workers and their families who are reeling from this devastating news,” Ramsey stated. The impact of 1500 direct job losses will lead to the loss of thousands of others in the supplier plants, vendors and other businesses that depend on the facility. “This is a terrible blow to our entire community,” Hardcastle stated.

The latest federal budget by the Trudeau Liberals lacked new domestic auto investment but instead earmarked $300 million in purchase incentives that excluded the only Canadian built electric vehicle, the Chrysler Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid pouring salt into the wounds of workers. “I’m in Brampton to hold an organizing event at the FCA plant to gain more support to include the Pacifica in the program and now this catastrophic news hits all the families in Windsor. This is appalling at a time when FCA is making largest investment in a generation just across the river in Detroit and Trudeau Liberals have done nothing to ensure Canadians benefit.”

Recently, FCA announced a $6.5 billion investment in the Detroit area to build the Jeep brand with the conversion of the Mack engine plant into a full assembly facility and a significant multibillion expansion of the Warren, Michigan plant. Masse wrote the Minister of Innovation to establish a working group to guarantee that FCA’s Canadian workers and suppliers. The Trudeau Liberals have not responded.
“The Prime Minister and the Innovation Minister love to talk about innovation and a high tech economy but they have done nothing to implement the national auto strategy that would ensure that Canadians actually get jobs. This is what abandoning manufacturing has led to. Prime Minister Trudeau campaigned on transitioning away from manufacturing and apparently he is getting his wish as workers lose their jobs,” Masse stated.