At 6:30 a. m. on Friday, autoworkers at GM’s Oshawa plant began clocking out for the last time and walked out into the frigid cold.
They were among the first workers to be laid off as GM cuts one of three shifts. Up to 1,200 autoworkers across the supply chain are expected to lose their jobs.
“A lot of people have some sort of resentment, but you’ve just got to go on, move on,” said Kendrick Gordon, speaking outside the plant on his last day working for a subcontractor.
Stephen Hyde also lost his job on Friday morning. For three years, he’s worked for TFT, a company that supplies parts to GM. Before that, he worked at GM for 34 years.
He said he’s left with an “empty feeling in the pit of my stomach” after losing his job.
Hyde, 66, says he is considering moving to Alberta to find work, as he has family in Edmonton.
“The unknown is really bad because there’s not a lot of jobs in Ontario,” he said. “Jobs are disappearing quickly.”
GM Canada plans layoffs at Oshawa plant<![CDATA[
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GM Canada is poised to cut a shift at its plant in Oshawa, Ont., affecting 500 jobs at GM; however, the union president representing them says upwards of 1,200 workers within the auto supply chain could also lose positions. Todd mentions there’s an added challenge during his job search since he’ll be competing against his former colleagues for available positions. The first spoke with Todd back in fall when he already knew about being laid off this year and planned on relocating out-of-province for work. B ut now he’s finding that moving costs present a significant hurdle without having a secure job offer lined up first.</ppage/ “We don’t really have enough money right now for first and last month’s rent somewhere else,” he explained.” “We can’t cover expenses like deposits needed if buying a home either.”</ppage/![]()
Todd Forbes pictured in his Oshawa apartment with his dog Gizmo. Forbes is seeking employment after getting laid off from GM’s Oshawa plant recently but notes that job prospects seem bleak, and moving away proves costly. (Michael Cole/CBC)![]()
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” !–======–! nbsp; – ‘we’d’ instead opt-out applying towards apprenticeships.’ ” ” — “He feels apprenticeship applications should include programs lasting five years.” It was previously something he’d ruled out since he’d be nearing retirement age by graduation.
Since competition makes hiring tough, businesses often see no need providing incentives such as relocation support, noted Rob Elkington-an assistant professor from Trent University.– Job searching can get especially tricky people over age fifty-five often encounter unique challenges including employers less likely offering sponsored training programs.
“Many training systems aren’t set up well suited learning needs older employees…even rules surrounding pensions inadvertently penalize continuing workforce participation,” noted Elkington.” – While some autoworkers look beyond Ontario opportunities exist within Durham Region as well. Elkington highlighted ongoing development associated new mini nuclear power station Bowmanville projected yield eighteen thousand construction jobs locally while sustaining three thousand seven hundred energy jobs annually over sixty-five-year period.” – Tech manufacturing sectors Durham Region also shown growth according Elkington pointed out ensuring policymakers consider how autoworkers leverage skills meaningfully within emerging industries.”
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Joly Calls Layoffs ‘Completely Unacceptable’
Hyde said he wants Prime Minister Mark Carney to make “some type of deal” with President Donald Trump as U. S. tariffs continue to punish Canadian industrial sectors. “Right now, Ontario is not looking very good at all,” Hyde said. Meanwhile, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly called the GM layoffs “completely unacceptable” speaking in Montreal on Friday. “If GM doesn’t want to continue to invest more in Canada, we will invest in other players,” she said. “We’ll fight for these workers and we’ll find them jobs,” she added. Mélanie Joly stated she met with GM on Thursday and “told them that we would be getting our money back.” In 2022, the federal and Ontario governments announced they would be investing up to $259 million each in GM’s Oshawa plant and its CAMI facility in Ingersoll. But in October, GM announced it was closing the Ingersoll plant, which produced electric-powered Bright Drop delivery vans due to low customer demand. Most of the 1,200 workers at the plant have been indefinitely laid off. “We want justice for Canadian taxpayers who have no time for those who don’t believe in us,” Joly stated on Friday.The Job Market Looks Tough
In Oshawa, auto workers who are laid off will face an unemployment rate of 8.6 percent-higher than both provincial and national averages. “It’s pretty bad starting out; then you add all these extra people into the market,” Todd Forbes shared after being laid off from TFT on Friday during an interview with CBC Radio’s Metro Morning.WATCH | GM initially announced shift cut in May last year:
GM Canada plans layoffs at Oshawa plant<![CDATA[]]
GM Canada is poised to cut a shift at its plant in Oshawa, Ont., affecting 500 jobs at GM; however, the union president representing them says upwards of 1,200 workers within the auto supply chain could also lose positions. Todd mentions there’s an added challenge during his job search since he’ll be competing against his former colleagues for available positions. The first spoke with Todd back in fall when he already knew about being laid off this year and planned on relocating out-of-province for work. B ut now he’s finding that moving costs present a significant hurdle without having a secure job offer lined up first.</ppage/ “We don’t really have enough money right now for first and last month’s rent somewhere else,” he explained.” “We can’t cover expenses like deposits needed if buying a home either.”</ppage/
“
Since competition makes hiring tough, businesses often see no need providing incentives such as relocation support, noted Rob Elkington-an assistant professor from Trent University.– Job searching can get especially tricky people over age fifty-five often encounter unique challenges including employers less likely offering sponsored training programs.
“Many training systems aren’t set up well suited learning needs older employees…even rules surrounding pensions inadvertently penalize continuing workforce participation,” noted Elkington.” – While some autoworkers look beyond Ontario opportunities exist within Durham Region as well. Elkington highlighted ongoing development associated new mini nuclear power station Bowmanville projected yield eighteen thousand construction jobs locally while sustaining three thousand seven hundred energy jobs annually over sixty-five-year period.” – Tech manufacturing sectors Durham Region also shown growth according Elkington pointed out ensuring policymakers consider how autoworkers leverage skills meaningfully within emerging industries.”
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