When I grew up in the village of Brooklin a job at General Motors in Oshawa was coveted. It was tempting to forego college or university because a high-paying and secure position at an early age was waiting just down the road.
The world changes and demand for products of any kind shifts and people who figure they have a "sure thing" find themselves searching for answers. I'm sure that most of the United Churches in this area have a number of parishioners who either worked are in the employ of GM or the many feeder plants for the industry. For the second time in a year I am writing about significant lay-offs which will affect the entire auto industry in this area.
What did these workers do wrong? Nothing, if we look at the productivity and efficiency of the manufacturing plants. We know that the down-turn in the economy and the desire for more fuel-efficient vehicles has affected sales. But the employees in the plants have no control over these factors.
Again we are reminded that meaningful employment with fair compensation is no longer a certainty in our society. That reality doesn't help the thousands of households which will be affected by these lay-offs. We can keep these workers and their families in our prayers after the media attention moves elsewhere.
The world changes and demand for products of any kind shifts and people who figure they have a "sure thing" find themselves searching for answers. I'm sure that most of the United Churches in this area have a number of parishioners who either worked are in the employ of GM or the many feeder plants for the industry. For the second time in a year I am writing about significant lay-offs which will affect the entire auto industry in this area.
What did these workers do wrong? Nothing, if we look at the productivity and efficiency of the manufacturing plants. We know that the down-turn in the economy and the desire for more fuel-efficient vehicles has affected sales. But the employees in the plants have no control over these factors.
Again we are reminded that meaningful employment with fair compensation is no longer a certainty in our society. That reality doesn't help the thousands of households which will be affected by these lay-offs. We can keep these workers and their families in our prayers after the media attention moves elsewhere.
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