Unifor is setting up a new union office in the city of Bécancour, located in Québec, Canada, with plans to reinforce the union’s presence near the forthcoming GM Ultium CAM battery plant. Unifor plans to unionize workers at the facility when production officially gets underway in 2025. Unifor also plans to unionize workers at the nearby Ford battery production plant also currently under construction.
Unifor is the largest private sector union in Canada, with Unifor members recently ratifying a new three-year collective agreement with General Motors. The union just celebrated the inauguration of its new office in Bécancour on October 5th, with the new office location strategically placed to “reinforce Unifor’s presence close to the future GM-POSCO and Ford battery production plants, which will be built in the Bécancour industrial park and is anticipated to start production in 2025,” per Unifor.
“With government subsidies dedicated to the battery sector, it is essential that the spin-offs for Bécancour translate into good jobs and fair wages for the region’s residents,” said Unifor’s Quebec Director, Daniel Cloutier at the office inauguration. Unifor Québec already represents 1,000 workers at the Bécancour industrial park.
General Motors has announced that it would work with the Canadian government to build the new Bécancour battery plant. The facility will produce cathode active material (CAM) for use in GM’s Ultium batteries, which will be used to power models like the Chevy Silverado EV, GMC Hummer EV, and Cadillac Lyriq. The new facility will be constructed and operated under a joint venture between General Motors and POSCO Chemical, and is expected to create 200 jobs. Production is expected to kick off early in the 2025 calendar year.
Per a recent report from Automotive News, Unifor may face competition from other unions in the area when it comes to organizing the upcoming plants. However, according to Cloutier, Unifor isn’t worried.
“We don’t know about the others, but that does not change reality; we’re almost the only union involved in the automobile industry in Canada,” Cloutier said.
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