Motor Coach Blackmailing Governments and Workers

Motor Coach Industries (MCI), a major manufacturer of buses with its main plants located in Winnipeg, is currently engaged in a game of blackmail. It is threatening its workers and various levels of government in Canada and the United States that it will close its plants in Winnipeg and Pembina, North Dakota unless it receives millions of dollars in government handouts and major concessions from its workers. If its demands are not met, it is threatening to move its operations to Mexico or some Southern U.S. "right to work" state.

To date, the provincial, federal and municipal levels of government in Canada have offered MCI a total of $20 million in handouts. The North Dakota government has responded with an offer of US$16 million. However, MCI is also demanding a multi-year wage freeze from its Winnipeg workers and a 30 percent wage cut from its Pembina workers. In return, MCI is not even offering to guarantee that it will not move the plants or come back with more demands in the future.