THUNDER BAY – The president of the union local representing workers at the city’s Bombardier plant says plans for major layoffs announced by the parent company should not impact the Thunder Bay workforce.
Dominic Pasqualino said the 2,000 job cuts slate for Canada – out of a total of 7,500 worldwide between now and 2018 – likely won’t be local.
“What we do have planned are some layoffs as the Rocket line is winding down,” Pasqualino said on Friday.
“But we’re actually planning to speed up the bi-level and the (light rail vehicle) line and they’re doing some infrastructure changes in the plant right now. I would say by February or March, most of these people will be hired back.”
The Rocket line construction, a 480-car contract, is scheduled to come to a close by the end of December.
The company on Friday announced it was going to slash its employee total worldwide as part of a five-year turnaround plan to cut $300 million in expenditures by the end of 2018, confirming some of the layoffs would be offset by strategic hiring in key areas, including its rail division.
Pasqualino said it’s not out of the question the employee totals in Thunder Bay could rise, depending on the workload.
“They may even be adding extra shifts,” he said.
At present there are 30 workers on lay-off notices. Another 80 are scheduled to go by year’s end.
Pasqualino said the company has a commitment in place to fill the already-delayed Toronto Transit Commission order in a timely fashion.
“And you can’t build the cars without manpower. That’s why I suspect, if anything, this line will speed up.”
Bombardier’s Marc-Andre Lefebvre said the company still plans to build a second series of subway cars starting in 2017 in Thunder Bay.
“We’ve reassured all of our customers that throughout all of this we will have all of our human and material resources on deck to honour our commitment. That is not changing at all,” Lefevbre said, reached by phone on Friday in Montreal.
