These are some notes I took in a phone conversation with Bill Devine, who came to work at the GM Scarborough Van Plant late in his life, after going through a similar shut down (I think it was at Goodyear). He was elected to various positions in Local 303 of the Canadian Autoworkers, including on the adjustment committee that assisted workers who did not go on to work at other plants in the GM chain, to retrain to work in new careers following the closure, he also did a great deal of the research on the plant that was compiled for the Local 303 Heritage Project.
When I was working on a submission for a TTC art project, I got this factual information about the plant from Bill
GM Came to Scarborough from Leaside in 1952, as Fridgidare, a division of General Motors
Delco
The Van Plant, much expanded, replaced Fridgidaire in 1974, and employment increased dramatically to reach a two shift total of 2,800 production workers
The General Motors Van Plant was the single largest private sector employer in the GTA until DeHavilland went private
The effect of this increase was threefold;
A greater tax base
Increased revenue for municipal coffers
Much higher payroll, meant higher spending by van plant workers in the Scarborough community
At time of closure, that higher payroll would be 2M+ weekly
Good paying jobs were provided for Scarborough / East York residents
As a history of CAW local 303, which represented Van Plant workers, put it: “Many…in the surrounding neighbourhood and the community got jobs in the hiring of 1974-75” P78 (Rick Fleming)
With the closure of the Van Plant in 1993, all of the above came to a close.
In addition to the 2,800 jobs lost at the Van Plant there was a ‘spinoff’ loss of more jobs. These range from losses to parts suppliers to losses to the retail / hospitality sectors, where less money earned means less money spent.
Each manufacturing job loss means a spin-off loss of four more jobs throughout the economy
The legacy of the Van Plant Closure is both specific and General.
It is specific in terms of the loss experienced by each of the 2,800 workers affected, all of whom contributed to the well-being of the Scarborough community.
It is general in that in retrospect, it was a foretaste of todays manufacturing plant closures on an ever-increasing scale
On both counts, the legacy of the Van Plant closures should surely be commemorated and honoured.
