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A new and unique program negotiated by Unifor Local 88 at CAMI Automotive allowing workers there to take their overtime as time off in lieu of payment is proving a big hit with union members – and gaining a lot of attention.
“We’ve almost booked 50,000 hours in the first six months,” Unit Chair Mike Van Boekel recently told the Toronto Star, which wrote a feature article on the program.
Van Boekel says the program has resulted in a pool of more than 50 new workers, all now members of Local 88, being hired to fill in the gaps when workers take time off in lieu of overtime pay. To manage production needs at the plant, the overtime hours can only be taken in one-week blocks.
But with the CAMI plant producing the very Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, it doesn’t take long for the workers to rack up a week’s worth of overtime. Van Boekel said the heavy production has meant a grueling schedule for plant workers – so much so that many want time off with family more than they want the extra money.
Such programs are rare in manufacturing, where production needs make time off for overtime difficult to manage, and is unique to the Canadian auto industry.
Van Boekel says he has been contacted by workers in other auto plants asking how the program works, and telling him they’d like a similar program in their plants.
Unifor Organizer Bob Van Cleef said the program has also caught the eye of workers at Toyota.
“Throughout our drive to bring Unifor to Toyota, Team Members there have identified scheduling and time off with family as priority issues,” Van Cleef said. “A program like this shows how a union can help workers address such concerns in conjunction with the company.
To read the Toronto Star article, go to: http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/01/25/ot-workers-finally-get-a-break.html
