Chrysler to Canada: Pay up, or we leave

Chrysler LLC President and Vice Chairman Tom Lasorda spoke to Canadian Members of Parliament during a hearing in Ottawa on Wednesday, and based on the account published by ReportOnBusiness.com, it seems like it was really just a venue at which Lasorda was able to read off a list of demands from his employers.

They were:

1. The Canadian feds must provide the Pentastar with $2 to $3 Billion USD in bailout loans.
2. The CAW needs to visit the barber to the tune of a 25% reduction in pay and benefits.
3. The Canadian Revenue Agency must essentially surrender in its tax battle against the automaker, taking no additional action against it. Presently, the CRA has a half-billion dollar lien against the Brampton plant and has withheld hundreds of millions more in tax rebates.

Failure to meet these demands means that Chrysler starts killing hostages leaves Canada entirely and moves those jobs to the U.S. or Mexico. Lasorda's exact quote was, "The current success and long-term viability of Chrysler's manufacturing operations in Canada is very much dependent on [those] three critical factors." For his part, it sounds like Lasorda's confident that our neighbors to the north will capitulate, saying he feels the criteria presented can be satisfied, and that "we'll be here for a long time once they are addressed.

Chrysler to Canada: Pay up, or we leave