General Motors Canada Severance Packages
General Motors of Canada Company (GM Canada) is the Canadian arm of General Motors (GM), which is an American multinational automotive manufacturer. Its core brands include Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, and Buick.
Founded in 1918, GM Canada is headquartered in Oshawa, Ontario.
Roles at the automaker include automotive service technicians, machine operators, marketing professionals, sales representatives, administrative staff, human resources employees, and customer service representatives.
According to GM’s LinkedIn page, more than 5,700 people work for the company in Canada.
Recent layoffs at General Motors
- December 2023: Cruise, GM’s self-driving arm, is eliminating 24 per cent of its workforce, or approximately 900 jobs, as it restructures its business.
- June 2020: GM is cutting approximately 700 jobs in Tennessee as it grapples with a slowdown in sales.
- May 2020: Cruise, GM’s self-driving arm, is laying off approximately 150 employees, or eight per cent of its workforce, in a bid to reduce costs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- February 2019: GM is cutting at least 4,000 salaried jobs in North America as the automaker restructures its business.
- January 2017: GM is laying off more than 600 employees at its CAMI facility in Ingersoll, Ontario as the company shifts some production to Mexico.
Severance for GM Canada employees
In Canada, non-unionized employees at General Motors can get up to 24 months of severance pay when they are fired or laid off from their job.
This includes individuals working full-time, part-time, and hourly in Ontario, Alberta, or B.C.
Severance is the compensation a non-unionized worker in Canada receives from their employer when they are fired without cause.
Even if you are fired for cause, it’s very likely that you are still entitled to full severance pay because employees often don’t meet the conditions necessary for this type of dismissal.
LEARN MORE
• Severance for provincially regulated employees
• Rights to severance for manufacturing sector staff
• Severance packages during mass layoffs
Regardless of a company’s grasp on employment law, they are legally required to provide proper compensation following a termination.
This concept applies during challenging economic conditions, downsizing, the closure of a business, or major public health events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
WATCH: Employment lawyer Lior Samfiru explains everything you need to know about severance pay on an episode of the Employment Law Show.
The employment lawyers at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP have represented tens of thousands of employees over the years in severance package negotiations.
- LEARN MORE: Severance pay by company
We have successfully secured much larger amounts for individuals employed across a variety of positions, from entry level jobs to executives.
How to properly calculate severance pay
Employers often incorrectly calculate severance pay. There is a belief that severance pay is one week’s pay, two weeks’ pay, or a week for every year of service an employee has with the company.
For non-unionized employees, the main factors of termination or severance pay include age, length of service, position, bonuses, benefits, and the ability to find new work.
To figure out how much compensation you may be entitled to, use our firm’s Pocket Employment Lawyer.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
• Severance Pay in Ontario
• Alberta severance packages
• Understanding severance in B.C.
• Layoffs in Canada
Don’t sign on the dotted line!
Do not accept any severance offer, termination papers, or exit agreement that GM Canada may provide you with.
Once you sign back these documents, you eliminate your ability to negotiate a fair and proper severance package.
Generally speaking, if an employee doesn’t receive the proper amount of severance pay when they lose their job, it’s possible that they have been wrongfully dismissed.
An employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP can review your situation and explain how much compensation you are legally entitled to.
Talk to an employment lawyer
The knowledgeable employment law team at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP has helped tens of thousands of non-unionized individuals across the country.
In addition to severance package negotiations, our lawyers have experience securing solutions for the following employment matters:
Our lawyers in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C. stand ready to help you solve your workplace issues.
If you are a non-unionized employee who needs help with an employment issue, contact us or call 1-855-821-5900 to get the advice you need, and the compensation you deserve.
Disclaimer: The materials above are provided as general information about the rights of non-unionized employees in Canada. It is not specific to any one company and should not be read as suggesting any improper conduct on the part of any specific employer.
About the Author
Lior Samfiru
Lior Samfiru is a Founding Partner of Samfiru Tumarkin LLP and Practice Leader for the firm's Labour & Employment Law Group. His experience in countless successful cases and mediations on behalf of employees and employers, as well as his continued advocacy for the rights of workers, makes him one of the most skilled and sought-after labour and employment lawyers in Canada.
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