Fewer trucks, fewer jobs.

It’s not a secret that the economy in the United States and Canada is suffering these days, and that the cost of fuel is on the rise.  It’s almost impossible for regular working families to afford gas or diesel for some vehicles. Vehicles like trucks. Most of the pick-up trucks in North America are manufactured in my hometown of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. At least, they were.

Oshawa is home to thousands of automotive workers.  Ask a random member of this community if they know anybody who works at GM, and odds are, they'll nod, and list those they know who are employed there.  My grampa retired after a long career as an assembly line worker at GM and my sister-in-law, until recently, worked for a company that transported GM vehicles from the assembly line out onto the lots (for every line worker job there are seven other jobs that support that one). My uncle is also in management at GM, although I suspect that his job is far less jeopardized than the middle-class line workers that make up the real heart of this community.

The rising cost of gas means that regular working families are no longer buying pick-up trucks. And because consumers are no longer going to be buying pick-up trucks, General Motors has decided that they don’t need to manufacture as many as they used to. They’re going to close the Oshawa truck plant. 1,000 automotive workers are out of work in my hometown of Oshawa. The truck plant is closing, and up and down the streets of Oshawa suburbs, friends and neighbours are losing their jobs.

The CAW has fought hard against their employer, setting up road blocks and organizing rallies. But a judge has ordered that the road block be removed, and now to add insult to injury, General Motors wants several of the CAW members to pay them for the business that was lost due to the road block that lasted several days, over a million dollars.

After my drive through Flint, Michigan last summer, news like this makes me fearful for the fate of my town.

So while it’s terrific that Canadian and American citizens are reducing their auto footprint by downsizing their vehicles, and buying less gas, it’s folks like the Oshawa line workers who are affected.

There are two sides to every coin, aren’t there?

Comments

[zchamu]

Yes, there are. However, I think you do your townsfolk a disservice. Yes, it's going to suck when the plant closes down. However, your townsfolk are smart, and innovative, and creative. Soon, they will think of new business opportunities, new ways of making a living, and will create their own businesses, employing their old friends and coworkers in ways that are far more sustainable than relying on a US car manufacturer.

The transition will suck for a little while, no doubt. However, it's necessary, and it's going to be happening the world over. Rather than mourning the past and fearing the future, we should be learning from the past and embracing the future.

[Truck Bed Covers]

Ah yes! The economy is certainly in the doldrum, not only in the US, but worldwide. Trucking has been brought almost to a halt because of the economy. As the saying goes, "if a truck you have it, a truck brought it."