The announcement to close the Siemens turbine plant last May came as a shock to the 550 workers who had successfully produced sophisticated utility gas turbines for many years.
The plant whose foundation was based in the Westinghouse Corporation had been a fixture in Hamilton for decades. It was kept to state of the art capacity as it transitioned over the years from one product line to another.
It boasts a well trained and competent workforce . “We’ve built everything and we can build anything.” claims Randy Smith president of Local 504 CAW.
The announcement that Siemens is planning to build wind turbine blades in southern Ontario has created hope that these good green jobs will come to Hamilton and that some of the affected workers will do these jobs.
It has also encourages Hamiltonians to take a look at their home town’s capacity to get into the wind turbine industry. Hamilton has a long tradition of manufacturing, especially large scale, precision machinery. It has a skilled workforce. McMaster University and Mohawk College excel in engineering, technology, and skilled trades. There are several present sites in the city that could be converted to manufacture.
We have the people and the capacity. Now we need to build the leadership
Post by Bill Thompson - Regional Coordinator, Hamilton.
Blue Green Canada is an alliance between the United Steelworkers (USW) and Environmental Defence to advocate for working people and the environment in key areas of global trade, the use of toxic chemicals in commercial activity, the creation of green manufacturing jobs, and in the development of strategies to address climate change. We welcome your thoughts - info@bluegreencanada.ca
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