GM disputes Canadian auto union's Super Bowl ad

Friday, February 1, 2019, Vol. 43, No. 5
The Associated Press

The Canadian subsidiary of General Motors was unable to stop an auto workers union from airing a critical TV commercial during the Super Bowl.

The 30-second ad calling the automaker greedy and "un-Canadian" broadcast on Canadian TV stations during Sunday's game.

GM announced plans in November to close its car factory in Oshawa, Ontario, near Toronto, costing the jobs of about 2,600 blue-collar workers.

The commercial accuses GM of continuing to expand in Mexico while leaving Canadians "out in the cold" and makes claims about the costs of a 2009 auto bailout.

GM of Canada sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Unifor union giving it a Saturday deadline to stop using the ad, but the demand wasn't heeded. GM says in a statement that the ad is misleading and inaccurate.