Local CAW president Mike Vince promoted to national level

[Blue_Tires]

The head of the Canadian Auto Workers union local representing Ford employees in Windsor, Ont., will represent Ford workers nationally for the CAW starting Jan. 1.

Mike Vince, president of Canadian Auto Workers Local 200, representing Ford workers in Windsor, Ont., has been promoted to a national representative. (CBC)Mike Vince, the president of CAW Local 200, agreed to the promotion "after real thoughtful consideration" and "with mixed emotions," he told CBC News.

"I give it a lot of consideration, talking to the people here and the leadership and, of course, my own immediate family," Vince said.

Vince has been with Local 200 for 20 years and has been its president since 2002. He knows "all too well the difficult, challenging times" faced by Ford workers in Windsor, he said.

As of Dec. 7, 860 union members were on layoff, and another 64 on notice, according to the local's website.

Despite those numbers, Vince remains optimistic.

"I guess one of the brighter spots out of this whole thing was out of all the plants that Ford has closed over the last number of years, they've only re-opened one, and that's Essex Engine," Vince said.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/windsor/story/2009/12/10/windsor-vince-promotion-caw-091210.html