Laying It On The Line

In late 2008 the worlds economy began to tumble at avalanche speed and at the forefront of the manufacturing collapse were the Big Three automakers: Chrysler General Motors and Ford. For decades these companies had been shining stars providing billions of dollars of new investments and thousands of well-paying jobs. Yet suddenly the heads of these and other manufacturing giants found themselves begging governments for financial packages to save their industries. What the hell happened?Buzz Hargrove the former head of the Canadian Autoworkers (CAW) retired right before the collapse but not before witnessing the decades of bad decisionmaking by federal governments and CEOsthat set the stage for the sudden crisis. No one knows the ins and outs of manufacturing like Hargrove a man who championed the cause of on-the-line workers but who also earned the immense respect of political and business leaders Laying It on the Line Hargrove explains the crisis from his side of the table what it means for Canada and how the manufacturing sector can again become this countrys foremost economic driver. Along the way he shares the behind-the-door dealings with GM Ford Air Canada and others explaining the controversial agreements he reached over his decades as Canadas chief labour leader. Laying It on the Line is a timely call to arms for industry governments and indeed all Canadians.