Paccar has increased hiring at its Sainte-Thérèse factory, in the Laurentians, where the truck manufacturer is preparing to relaunch truck production in the evening, La Presse has learned. According to Unifor, more than 250 employees have been added to the workforce in recent months.
This increase in speed is planned for October 16, according to the union which represents the factory’s employees. This is a turnaround, since the evening shift was eliminated at the start of 2020, leading to some 200 layoffs.
“This is good news,” says Dominic Guay, president of Unifor Local 728. Hiring is a good sign. The order book is full and the trucks are selling well. »
The Paccar Quebec plant assembles medium-duty trucks (classes 5, 6 and 7) of the Peterbilt and Kenworth brands, which belong to the multinational.
It was not possible to obtain comment from the American company. At the time of writing, she had not responded to questions sent by La Presse. The wave of hiring in recent months has increased the number of union members in the factory to 1,300, according to Mr. Guay’s estimates.
In the evening, most employees should be assemblers, according to Unifor. Their hourly wage ranges between $25.07 and $32.03 per hour, according to the siteusinepaccar.com, where job offers are found for vacancies in Sainte-Thérèse.
“Hiring is active 365 days a year,” says Mr. Guay. There is good turnover with those leaving the company for retirement, vacations and other departures. »
Despite the economic slowdown, the truck manufacturer does not seem to want to slow down. Last July, while commenting on second-quarter results, the company’s CEO, Preston Feight, indicated that the manufacturer’s factories had their hands full, a trend he believed would continue. .
“I would say that being fully booked for 2023 right now is a great starting point,” he explained to analysts. Markets continue to be robust for us around the world. Demand is expected to be strong [for 2024]. Some sectors are exceptionally good. This concerns the transport of broken lots, the vocational niche, in particular. »
In North America – Canada and the United States – the heavy truck maker saw its revenues jump 30% during the first six months of the year to reach US$10.5 billion. As for deliveries, they stood at 53,500 units as of June 30, an increase of 19% compared to the same period last year.
Working relations have always been special between Paccar and its Quebec employees. There was more than one labor conflict at the Sainte-Thérèse factory. The most recent lockout dates back to December 2019, when the collective agreement expired.
Mr. Guay does not anticipate any change in this regard despite a full order book.
“Paccar’s vision is different compared to other companies,” says the union representative. It is the tradition of “no contract no work”. We’re going into negotiations next year, I don’t want that, but Paccar risks having the same vision. »
The employer also imposed a lockout in 2014.
