Some workers at the General Motors CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll will experience several weeks of downtime through most of next month.
Unifor Local 88, the union branch which represents members at the auto manufacturing facility, received a letter that the plant will be shut down from April 3 to April 28.
The letter indicated the closure is due to complete the “final tooling and equipment readiness” to prepare for the launch of the BrightDrop Zevo 400 later this year and to “enable production readiness” of the Zevo 600 to run at maximum capacity when workers return in May.
Mike Van Boekel, Unifor’s chairman for the CAMI plant, said that while he believes many suspected there might be “speed bumps” until the full launch of the revamp to begin production of electric commercial vans, the shutdown comes as a “big blow” to union members.
“Money is already tight for most, and this won’t help,” Van Boekel wrote in a letter to CAMI union members. “We had all hoped to be two shifts by now. However, without parts, the ramp-up comes to a standstill.
During the shutdown, hourly members will be put on temporary layoff, while salaried workers will have the option to use their vacation hours.
