The following letter was written by Warren (Smokey) Thomas, President of OPSEU, to Jerry Dias, national president of Unifor, in response to the announcement that GM Canada will transition its plant in Oshawa from manufacturing vehicles to stamping, sub-assembly and autonomous vehicle testing.
May 9, 2018
Dear Brother Dias,
I want to congratulate you for your success in reaching a deal with General Motors to keep the plant in Oshawa open.
It is very clear the driving force that made this happen was your dogged determination, hard work and inspired leadership.
Management, Doug Ford and many other political leaders said it couldn’t be done or the ship has left the dock, but you never gave up, and every member of every union in this country should be proud of what you have achieved.
It shows what we can do if we stand united, and I hope Wednesday’s announcement will lead to more good news for your members in Oshawa in the coming months.
We at OPSEU never doubted that you would achieve what many people said was impossible, and we are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with you against big corporations like GM.
We know the fight to protect our province continues, and I look forward to our ongoing work together to push back the destructive Ford agenda.
Brother Dias, I am proud to have you and your members at our side as we reclaim the province of Ontario.
In solidarity
Warren (Smokey) Thomas
President, Ontario Public Service Employees Union