Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  No, it's a valid question. The reality is that we hope that General Motors and Chrysler, and potentially Ford, when they present their business plan to the Canadian government, provide stability moving forward. It's not in the interest of the Canadian government or the interest, quite frankly, of our members or the companies to continually ask for more.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  Thank you very much. Thank you all for your participation tonight.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  It's a diversification, that's what it is. Workers have an opportunity to take one-day intervals on their total vacation amount; it's not over and above. They're allowed to take one-day intervals of paid absence allowance, which really comes out of their vacation bank.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  Yes.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  The maximum is five weeks, right?

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  On top of the statutory holidays.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  We've eliminated the Christmas bonus in this set of negotiations. In each year two kinds of processes were used, either a vacation bonus or a Christmas bonus. Each workplace deals with that in a local issue. In this set of negotiations we have eliminated the $1,700 annual vacation or Christmas bonuses provided to our members.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  It lies in the hands of the corporation.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  I just want to go back to what we said. We are convinced that we have maintained our Canadian advantage against those we compete with in the industrial world, Germany, Japan, and the United States. Again, they are the countries that we measure our costs against in terms of doing business moving forward.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  It's good to see you.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  Needless to say, in May 2008, four or five months prior to our bargained deadline in which we normally do traditional bargaining, it was the CAW that went to the employers and saw this perfect storm brewing over our heads. We went to them and solicited an early intervention into our bargaining, and that saved the companies, combined, over a three-year period, $300 million per year in each of the three years of the collective agreement.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  Well, as GM has already indicated, even with our bargained time off, the Oshawa plant, as an example, is the most highly productive, high-quality plant in the world—in the world, and with our bargained time off. In terms of labour hours per vehicle, which is measured by The Harbour Report, eight out of the ten unionized plants in North America are the most highly productive workplaces in the world.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  I would ask the committee not to buy into the theatrics of what benefits are provided workers. The reality is that the CAW legal service plan has been a wonderful initiative and a wonderful benefit. What we do is provide lower-cost, negotiated insurance plans through basically a not-for-profit co-op, which brought legal fees down throughout Canada.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  Compared to our major competing markets of Japan, Germany, and the United States, on an active per worker cost basis, Canadian workers are cheaper. That's a realistic fact. But we are very cost competitive here in Canada with those major trading partners that manufacture vehicles.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  Jim will deal with the free trade question, but let me just reiterate for the committee's information, and I'm sure you know this already, that the cost associated with labour in an assembly plant is 7%. The total cost of a vehicle in an assembly plant is 7%. We could have worked for nothing, for absolutely nothing, during this global financial crisis and the company wouldn't recover.