Jun 04, 2008 - 03:51 PM

By Jillian Follert

OSHAWA -- Provincial NDP leader Howard Hampton was greeted with cheers and a red union T-shirt when he pulled into Oshawa Wednesday afternoon to show his support for angry GM employees protesting outside the company's headquarters.

Mr. Hampton condemned GM for signing a contract with the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union two weeks ago, then announcing Tuesday it would be closing Oshawa's truck plant in 2009, laying off 2,600 workers.

"GM went to the bargaining table and made a commitment," he said. "We can't allow them to just walk away from that two weeks later. We need to hold corporations accountable and make them respect the workers."

Hundreds of frustrated auto workers, wearing red Made in Canada Matters T-shirts, barricaded the road leading to General Motors head office Wednesday, some assembling as early as 4 a.m.

Protesters checked people's identification and allowed workers at the nearby Minacs Canada offices to enter, but prevented General Motors office workers from passing through. GM office employees turned around and drove away.

On Tuesday General Motors Corporation, citing declining truck sales, announced it would close four truck plants in North America in 2009, including the Oshawa plant. The Oshawa facility employs 2,600 workers comprising two shifts, skilled trades and management.

In a painful twist, protesting workers learned Wednesday afternoon the truck plant had just been awarded one of J.D. Power and Associates' top awards.

The Chevrolet Silverado LD was named tops in its category in the J.D. Power 2008 Initial Quality Study.

"When you get an award for the best pickup truck in the industry, why in your right mind would you close it (the plant?)" asked CAW Local 222 president Chris Buckley.

He said the ultimate aim of the protest was to force GM to reverse its decision and he demanded a face to face meeting with company officials.

By mid-afternoon Wednesday it appeared a meeting was tentatively in the works for Friday.

The union president said the blockade would continue "until I decide to dismantle it."

Jim Freeman, president of the Durham Region Labour Council and a truck plant employee, said he was willing to stay out as long as it takes.

"General Motors lied to the workers," Mr. Freeman said. "We signed a contract. They expect us to live up to it, then they renege on it two weeks later."

GM Canada workers ratified a three-year contract on May 16 that included reduced benefits, a wage freeze and a week less of vacation. The contract guaranteed new product would be built at the truck plant, including hybrid models of some of GM's trucks, CAW president Buzz Hargrove said when details of the contract were released.

Bev McCloskey, 79, and a General Motors retiree, walked her first picket line with GM workers in 1949.

She said in all her years with the union, she has never seen General Motors go back on an agreement in this way.

"I don't even feel like our pensions are safe," Ms. McCloskey said. "If they can change one thing, they can change anything on us."

GM spokesman Stew Low said the decision wasn't an easy one for the company to make.

"Nobody likes to have to make decisions to stop production at any of our plants," he said.

Mr. Low said the decision was made because the shift in demand for trucks seems to be a permanent one.

"We have to react; we can't build vehicles people aren't purchasing."

He said the company is willing to sit down with the union and hear what they have to say, but not in a protest environment.

Durham Regional Police Sergeant Jim Grimley said officers were at the scene of the protest to make sure things remained peaceful and that as long as protesters were allowing workers to walk into their buildings, "that is OK by me."