Gm Has Stockpile To Cope With Strike

General Motors Corp. began stockpiling parts from Canadian plants several weeks ago to keep at least a few key U.S. plants operating during a prolonged strike by the Canadian Auto Workers, a newspaper reported Friday.

The plan, drafted last month in anticipation of a possible strike by the United Auto Workers, will allow the Saturn plant at Spring Hill, Tenn., and a truck plant in Janesville, Wis. - among others - to keep operating at least through late October, GM and union sources told USA Today.

About 100 workers at a GM transmission plant in Ypsilanti, Mich., on Thursday joined 800 colleagues who were laid off Monday, because the parts they make were not needed at plants being struck in Canada.

In Tonawanda, N.Y., 1,050 workers at an engine plant were also laid off Monday.

Workers at Ontario plants in Woodstock, London and Windsor walked off the job Wednesday, joining the strike at GM’s other Canadian plants. The total number of strikers rose to 28,510 and shut down the Canadian subsidiary of the world’s leading automaker.