Toronto: General Motors Corp. will resume production of pickup trucks at its Oshawa, Ont., plant for three weeks, bringing back to work 2,700 employees who have been idled since February by a supplier strike.
The automaker said the plant, which makes the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks, will run for three weeks to make sure that everything’s ready for the next model cycle.
“There may be some part changes, colour changes as we go from the current model to the next model, and we need to do validation builds in preparation for that.”
She declined to comment on future plans at the plant, saying GM “can’t speculate on the outcome of the strike,” said spokeswoman Patty Faith
The Oshawa plant was idled in February following a strike by parts supplier American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. in the US.
About 3,600 workers at five American Axle plants in Michigan and New York walked off their jobs Feb. 26 after contract talks broke down over wages.
The resulting parts shortage has forced GM and other customers to shut down plants in the US and Canada, affecting thousands of workers.
Faith said a GM plant in Fort Wayne, Ind. will also restart for the three-week period.