Unifor's former president who helped save GM plant is under investigation

Unifor's high-profile former leader Jerry Dias is under investigation for an alleged breach of the union's constitution.

In a statement released Monday, Unifor, the union that represents 315,000 workers in Canada including those at the Detroit Three carmakers, said that on Jan. 26, National Secretary-Treasurer Lana Payne received a written complaint that Dias had engaged in the alleged breach, though Unifor is not releasing specifics on the complaint .

"Following review of the complaint, Payne promptly initiated an independent external investigation," Unifor spokeswoman Kathleen O’Keefe wrote in the statement. "On Jan. 29, Dias was notified of the investigation, which is ongoing."

Dias, 63, has been on medical leave since Feb. 6. He notified Unifor’s board of his early retirement on March 11, citing health issues.

O'Keefe said to ensure the integrity of the investigation and to maintain confidentiality in accordance with Unifor's constitution, the union will not share specifics of the complaint at this time, but the union's National Executive Board will meet next Monday to discuss the matter.

"The union will have no further public comment prior to receipt of the investigative report, expected in the near future," O'Keefe's statement read. "Every Unifor member is held to the same standard and afforded the same rights under our constitution."

No sign of trouble

The news comes a day after Unifor put out a press release confirming Dias' retirement.

In that Sunday release, Dias made a statement saying he felt good about his 8½ years of leadership. 

"I can proudly say we have built an incredible organization and made Unifor the influential and successful union it is today," Dias said. "I have all the confidence the leadership, staff and locals will continue to build Unifor into a bold and progressive force for working people from coast to coast to coast."

In that announcement, Payne went on to praise Dias and gave no hint at any trouble or an internal investigation.

"On behalf of our members and our leadership team, we wish Jerry well and thank him for his numerous and impactful contributions to working people over many years, from his days representing aerospace workers on the shop floor to National President of Canada’s largest private sector union,” Payne said.

Payne, who is the highest-ranking officer, will fill in for Dias until a new president is elected.

According to the CBC, there are two contenders for the national presidency: Unifor Local 444 President Dave Cassidy and Scott Doherty, Dias' executive assistant.

The news comes as the UAW in the U.S. moves past a corruption scandal that resulted in the convictions of 15 people, including two former presidents. In November, UAW members voted to amend the UAW constitution to require direct elections of international leaders going forward. That first election will be held this summer.

Also in November, an independent monitor of the UAW investigated current President Ray Curry’s use of football tickets the union obtained before he was president. But the monitor opted not to file charges against Curry, referring the case to the union’s ethics officer. Curry said he voluntarily repaid the value of the tickets, and that the union’s International Executive Board had reviewed the matter and determined there was no violation of existing union policy.

Dias' deals with Detroit

Dias is best known for his battle with GM in late 2019-20. The automaker announced in late 2018 it would permanently close the Oshawa Assembly plant in Ontario.

Dias launched an aggressive campaign for GM to save Oshawa Assembly, about 40 miles east of Toronto. It was one of five plants in North America GM planned to close as a cost-cutting measure. 

“We had a hell of a dustup," Dias told the Free Press in a previous interview. He was referring to Unifor's multiple worker protests at GM Canada's headquarters.

Dias also called for boycotting GM vehicles made in Mexico and launched a negative media campaign.

By May 2019, Unifor and GM settled on keeping Oshawa partly operating as an aftermarket parts assembler, saving about 300 jobs. 

Then came the 2020 contract talks. Unifor started negotiations in August that year with Ford Motor, the company that led the way in pattern bargaining with the Detroit Three in Canada.

Unifor reached a three-year deal with Ford, FCA (now called Stellantis) and then GM. The agreements cover about 17,000 Unifor members at the Detroit Three.

The most significant win in the FCA deal was the return of a third shift at the Windsor Assembly plant by 2024 and as many as 2,000 jobs. Also FCA agreed to launch a new platform to build plug-in hybrid and/or battery-electric vehicles.

Dias also achieved a milestone agreement with Ford. Ford will invest $1.5 billion (U.S.) to bring battery-electric vehicle production to its Oakville Assembly plant in Ontario and a new engine derivative to Windsor. 

An investment of $590 million ($451.4 million U.S.) by the federal and provincial governments to help bring those electric vehicles to Oakville locked down the Unifor/Ford agreement.

But GM's agreement to invest $1.1 billion to retool and restart Oshawa Assembly to build full-size pickups is Dias' crown jewel of the negotiations. 

When he made the announcement, the 300 people still working in Oshawa's plant were high-fiving and celebrating, he said, and "it was a very emotional day."

Still, there were critics at one point who said  Dias with not doing enough to prevent the closure in the first place. To that point, Dias told the Free Press in November 2020, after Oshawa's reversal of fortune during bargaining, "My critics can kiss my ass."

Last November, the first Silverado, a 2022 heavy-duty High Country trim in red, rolled off the assembly line at Oshawa. 

More:Here's how Canada's autoworker union won big with GM, Ford and FCA

More:GM's Oshawa Assembly plant builds its first Chevy Silverado pickup

More:Documentary takes aim at GM's move to close Oshawa Assembly Plant

Contact Jamie L. LaReau at 313-222-2149 or jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.