General Motors

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said the union launched the strike after "one-sided negotiations" failed to reach an agreement.

"It was going to be General Motors' way at the expense of the workers," Gettelfinger said. "The company walked right up to the deadline like they really didn't care."

The first strike at the General Motors-owned firm began on June 15th when the night shift walked of the job in protest at management's refusal to answer questions on the restructuring plan, the strike lasted until the 18th.

Many Americans are probably not aware of the great extent to which U.S. corporations collaborated with the Nazi war machine during WWII. Ultimately, the international corporations, the lawyers, bankers and financiers who collaborated with the Nazis prevailed. They exerted tremendous influence to thwart investigators delving into their seditious activities after the war.

A march last Thursday was attended by over 80000 people. The 1600 workers are being represented by the UGT (general workers union) and the workers' commission. They have complained that as the owners are in America negotiations are difficult.

The Guelph Mercury reported that auto workers at Guelph Products Collins & Aikman went on a wildcat strike Saturday to support workers at a Toronto plant pushing for severance pay for 200 laid-off workers.

Nearly 75 of the Guelph plant's staff walked off the job around 3:30 p.m. and management barricaded the turnstile entrances with chains and steel bars so the workers couldn't re-enter.

Workers barricaded doors at the Collins & Aikman plant in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto, yesterday. The factory produces floor, acoustic systems and cockpit modules for cars.

200 workers have been laid off at the plant since it filed for bankruptcy in 2005, but they have not been paid severance pay. The company claims that its US arm won't release the funds.

The following excerpts thoroughly document how capitalists really acted during the Second World War. Behind the patriotic propaganda that encouraged the working class to slaughter each other in the interests of competing national interests, international capital quietly kept the commodity circuits flowing and profits growing across all borders.

Article from the Swedish "workplace paper" Motarbetaren #5, September 2004 about General Motors/Saab policy and potential struggle in Sweden.

Extensive background information and analysis, and an account of a wildcat strike of Opel/GM car workers in Germany.

General Motors (GM) announced in July that it would close the Azambuja plant in December in order to shift production to a larger plant in Spain.

AutoServiceWorld reported today that workers at AGS Parts Plant walked off the job in an unauthorised wildcat strike, which, according to CAW head Buzz Hargrove, could lead to grave consequences.

Calling the event a "powder keg", the union chief said that the sudden work stoppage could sink the company, cripple GM, and cost hundreds of jobs.

Particularly against the background of the GM management's threat of global mass redundancies this victory is quite exceptional.

On 31 March the majority of the day-shift decided to lay down tools in order to protest against the work load and to demand additional workers be employed.

Delphi is filing for bankruptcy, and the cuts are to go ahead despite recently awarding executives with nearly $40m in bonuses. The auto workers are beginning to fight back, defying the United Auto Workers union and attempting slowdowns in Delphi plants, including facilities in Flint, Michigan, and Kokomo, Indiana.