Unemployed auto workers being

left behind by economic recovery,

CAW study finds

Workers laid off from the auto industry are having a tough time finding new jobs, even with ongoing support from their union, former employers and government, according to a study released Monday by the Canadian Auto Workers.

“Workers victimized by the financial crisis are now being left behind by the so called recovery,” said CAW president Ken Lewenza, who pointed to automotive Windsor’s stubbornly high unemployment rate of 12.7 per cent as an example.

The ongoing study is following 260 CAW members in the Toronto area who lost their jobs at the start of the recession and have been assisted by worker adjustment centres supported by the union, their former employers and the province. There are four such centres in Windsor.

The study started with Chrysler workers laid off from the Brampton assembly plant and was expanded to include others from two auto parts plants — one in Kitchener and the other in Scarborough.

Only 24 per cent had found jobs when they were interviewed between March and October 2009. Of those, 70 per cent are doing part-time, temporary or less secure work.

While the adjustment centres are helping workers through what many described as the overwhelming experience of trying to find a job in the current economy, more income and training support is needed, said lead researcher Sam Vrankulj, of McMaster University.

“When the jobs aren’t around you have to retrain for completely different jobs,” said David Robertson, CAW director of work organization and training. “Right now workers don’t get the requisite support. (Employment insurance) runs out, and the Ontario Second Career (program) isn’t sufficient to get them into the programs they need.”

The CAW is calling for employment insurance payments to continue for as long as workers are retraining and more provincial support for training programs.

The task has been daunting with 550,000 full-time manufacturing jobs lost since 2002, Lewenza said.

“When there are jobs to go to and the supports to get there, laid off workers are pretty good about making the transition,” he said. “We’ve seen production workers move to other plants in the manufacturing sector. We’ve seen autoworkers become chefs, factory workers, shift to health care; workers in engine plants become dental hygienists; warehouse workers become truck drivers; production workers become teachers. We’ve seen skilled trades workers move from industry to construction. We’ve seen people go back to school to get their degrees. But we’ve also seen workers face obstacles that are simply too big to overcome.”

To see the CAW study go to the union’s website, www.caw.ca, and click on research in the services/departments section. The study can be downloaded in a pdf format: http://www.caw.ca/en/8996.htm