German Firm Moves 4,000 Kelowna Jobs to U.S. Auto Industry Squeeze Hits Hard Dutch Vacuum 200 Jobs from Bloomington Normal  North America is the world’s richest industrial economy, with the most productive workforce on earth. But for how much longer? What will be left if we continue selling off our best jobs? Revitalizing North America's Might Return to Contents Page |
Mexico Nets 100
Toronto Jobs Norm
and Laverna Blackshaw still cling to their dream –– to buy that
small house on the west coast of Newfoundland and retire.
But
their dream is shrouded in the dark aftermath of yet another Canadian
plant closing. Stanley-Bostich closed down operations here and
hightailed it to Mexico and the U.S. “I
was devastated to lose my job after 23 years,” says Norm, a former
shop steward, who is still looking for work. “We made a quality
product and always bargained in good faith. They made a good profit
–– nobody denies that. The
Blackshaws sold their home and moved into an apartment where Laverna
secured a job as superintendent of the building. They live rent free,
and Norm’s mother has moved in with them “to help out with the
finances.” “But
we’ve had to give up on a lot of things,” says Laverna. “We
don’t drink and we don’t smoke, but even so we’ve had to cut back
hard on the food budget. Kraft dinner becomes a good meal if that’s
all you can afford. It’s been very hard on us both ... but especially
on Norm. He was really stressed out. He couldn’t sleep nights.” Harnek
Rai, another casualty of the Stanley-Bostich shutdown, has an edge of
bitterness in his voice when he talks about his previous employer. “Corporations
don't give a damn. They don't care about you. The only way they know you
is by your plant number. They go to the computer and say ‘highlight
this number, this number, this number, this number,’ then click,
delete, you’re gone. Loyalty means nothing,” says Harnek, who also
served as a shop steward and who is working now to establish his own
business. He
says he felt betrayed by the company runaway. “They
knew what was coming and made life miserable for the senior people so
they would quit and then they wouldn’t have to pay severance pay.
There were lots of people there with 20 or more years seniority. They
started work at age 18 or 19 and then they’re kicked out like a dog.
I’m sorry, that’s not fair, we don’t treat dogs that way,” he
says, his eyes flashing anger. Blackshaw
points to the Conservative Mike Harris government in Ontario who he says
provided all kinds of tax breaks for employers like Stanley-Bostich, but
then just stood by and watched when workers’ jobs were sacrificed by
corporate cutbacks and shutdowns at a host of Toronto-area companies
“like Goodyear, Anaconda Brass, and Federal Nut and Bolt.” The
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was a contributing factor in
the Stanley-Bostich run to the south. NAFTA and other “trade”
agreements have undermined Canada’s governments’ ability to maintain
and increase production and employment.
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