CAW Screws its Members Out of Jobs!!!

This is actual breaking news that I've heard tonight straight from the horse's mouth. I was trying to find some sources to quote but I was, as of yet, unable to find any.

A GM dealership called Gravel in the upscale city of Iles-Des-Soeurs, just outside of Montreal, was on the verge of closing its doors and laying off all its employees. When the owner of said dealership decided to sit down with the people from whom he leases the land and the workers (sales, maintenance, administration) from his dealership and lay it all down.

He told them that if they could pay a lower price for the lease for the next twelve months and the workers accepted a 10% percent cut, he could manage to keep the dealership open and try to weather out the economic storm. Everyone agreed, from the landlord down to the receptionist.

When the workers of the dealership presented the plan to the CAW (Canadian Auto Workers Union) to have them work out the details, they refused. Stating that it would set a dangerous precedent for other dealership owners to cut wages across the board. Basically telling these workers that they would have to lose their jobs instead of taking a pay cut.

Who the heck is this union working for anyways? Maybe someone can explain it to me because my basic understanding of a union was that it was there to protect its members, not to have its own agenda and not help their members keep their jobs.

The case is now being heard in Quebec courts. I really hope the workers win because they probably have families to feed and were happy to keep their jobs. 90% of something is better than 100% of nothing, you'd think the largest private sector union in the country would understand that, seeing as how everyone else does.

Muchacho Enfermo