Workers seize means of production

[Ender]

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A group of disgruntled workers who took over a recently closed auto-parts supply company in Windsor, Ont., on Tuesday ended their siege Wednesday afternoon after reaching a deal that gives 80 laid-off employees severance and back pay.

The Canadian Auto Workers Union, which represents workers at the closed Aradco plant, held a rally there Wednesday. CAW president Ken Lewenza, speaking at the rally, told some 400 supporters a deal "in principle" had been reached.

About a dozen workers took over the Aradco facility Tuesday night. The plant takeover is the latest twist in a saga that has been brewing since two auto plants in the area shut down early last week.

The dozen workers had welded the doors shut from the inside, and said they would not leave until they got what they were owed.

Work at the Aradco plant stopped last week because of a dispute between the plant owners and Chrysler, which has mused publicly about pulling out of its Canadian operations unless unionized workers make substantial concessions.

Workers to vote on deal Thursday

Speaking of the deal, Lewenza told a cheering crowd that "where we are today is 10 times farther than we ever were and than we'd ever get."

No further details of the deal were available, but they will be provided Thursday morning when workers are due to vote on the agreement, the CAW said.

The CAW has said Aradco workers are owed severance, vacation and termination pay totalling $1.7 million.

The plant's owner, Catalina Precision Products Ltd., has offered the workers four weeks of severance pay — or about $200,000 in total for all 80 workers.

Union head says plant takeover was last option

The plant builds parts for Chrysler.

Since last week, Chrysler had been trying to go in and collect parts and tools it said belonged to the company, but the workers were not allowing it. They blocked trucks from coming on to the property.

Union representatives said the workers feared that if the tools and parts were removed, they would have no negotiating power.

"Some of the workers here have decided to take over the plant. That's the only thing they have in order to try to get the monies that are owing to them," Gerry Farnham, president of the CAW local representing the workers, said during the siege.

Well now. I'm aware that Winsor is basically Northern Detroit, and that they have the same level of shithole-ness there that Detroit does, with the economy basically landing body blows on a city that was already on its knees. But I never would have seen this one coming.

[Solauren]

Okay, so let me get this right.

I understand how they (feel?) are owed money. But this is the kind of thing you take in court.

Welding yourselves in a closed plant? Like the company willnotre, beyond PR (and if they are withdrawing for Canada, they won't even care PR wise).

They can just blockade the plant, arresting anyone that comes out for trespassing and any other crimes that might be applicable, and just wait for them to run out of supplies.

Blockading a closed plant is not the way to go.

[Kanastrous]

I don't believe it's the sort of thing you do unless you are prepared to be arrested.

It's a desperate tactic that paid off.

[Broomstick]

Well now. I'm aware that Winsor is basically Northern Detroit,

Windsor is south of Detroit.

and that they have the same level of shithole-ness there that Detroit does,

Not quite as bad as Detroit. Windsor is a depressed suburb. Detroit is a shithole circling the drain. Also, the international border and it's few crossings (a tunnel and a bridge at that location) largely kept the Detroit crime on the US side, which helped considerably.

with the economy basically landing body blows on a city that was already on its knees. But I never would have seen this one coming.

Actually, it reminds me of a factory take-over we had recently in Chicago, over similar grievances even if it was a different industry (window factory). I expect we will see more of these in the near future.

[Mr Bean]

Actually, it reminds me of a factory take-over we had recently in Chicago, over similar grievances even if it was a different industry (window factory). I expect we will see more of these in the near future.

Yes as media covered, that factory lock-out worked as well. So with two successful plant lock downs by the workers expect this to become a standard tatic. Nothing the media loves more than covering the poor workers locking themselves in at work.

So two for two? I expect this to be the go-to tactic because no major company wants to look like asses on national media, and the media is ripe for these kind of stories right now.

[Phantasee]

Man, I've been talking to my cousins from Windsor for the last couple days, neither of them mentioned anything about this. I guess it's a little different when it's happening in front of you, you don't think it's out of the ordinary (enough to warrant national attention, at least). Or you don't think it's the sort of thing people on the other side of the country care about.

The discussions have mostly revolved around how both of them can't get jobs for the summer there, or any period of employment. They're hoping to come out here to Edmonton for work over the summer. It'll be nice to have them over here, they haven't been here since 2000 or 2001. But I'll be driving my truck so I'm not going to have much time to hang out. Which works well, I suppose, if they're here for work and not a vacation.

[K. A. Pital]

That's par the course with crises of capitalism. People have just forgotten what a capitalist downturn is all about because they haven't seen that serious a crisis in their lifetime, and what kind of action workers are capable of. "Go to jail"? Yeah, jailing labour activists for seizing a closed-down factory is the right way to show that property rights rule supreme in a society. But it's definetely not what you want to show to other desperate workers, unless you want to intimidate them and build up social pressure.

It may be excessive for the First World, but the First World will experience what everyone does, only to a lesser degree.

[CJvR]

Well, so what? Yeah you can block the company from selling the machinery and buildings for a short while but as long as it isn't profitable to reopen... The problem is that no one is buying what is being produced, occupation will not change that - unless we go completly communist and run the place with slave labor to cut costs and prices.