Collective negotiations await Lion Electric, which is still counting its pennies. Recent waves of layoffs at the manufacturer of electric school buses and trucks have prompted several hundred workers to opt for unionization.
According to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), which initiated the action, some 300 employees at the Saint-Jérôme plant in the Laurentians are affected. The union is now turning its attention to the company’s other plants in Quebec, including those located in Mirabel (battery packs) and Joliet, Illinois.
“There is no question of stopping there,” says IAMAW Canadian General Vice President David Chartrand. “We already have many supporters at the Joliet plant.”
The decision of the Administrative Labour Tribunal, which has just been rendered, does not specify the result of the vote held at the end of May. According to the document, which La Presse was able to consult, there was no room for interpretation.
“After verifying the circumstances surrounding the vote, he has no reason to doubt the validity of the results of the vote,” we can read.
At the time of writing, Lion had not commented on the turn of events. Under severe financial pressure, the Quebec manufacturer has carried out some 370 layoffs and layoffs on both sides of the border since last fall.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Lion has around 1,150 employees.
As of March 31, the Quebec company had only $5 million left in its reserves. The company says it has not yet reaped the benefits of the difficult decisions it made in recent months – staff reductions and the implementation of a weight-loss plan to reduce its expenses.
The company will now have to prepare to negotiate a first employment contract with some 300 employees at the Saint-Jérôme factory who assemble its school buses and electric trucks, a process which should begin later this summer.
Lion’s stock is trading at $1.22 on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The stock is down about 47% since the beginning of the year.