Members of Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union, will hold a vote to ratify a tentative agreement with GM Canada this weekend. The vote follows a brief 13-hour strike that was called after the previous labor contract expired earlier this week. The new agreement closely follows an agreement with Ford which Unifor members ratified late last month by a narrow margin.
According to a report from Automotive News, Unifor members from the GM Oshawa plant, St. Catharines Propulsion Plant, and Woodstock Parts Distribution Center will vote on the new agreement this Saturday and Sunday. Voting will take place either in-person or online, depending on the preference of local union. Unifor represents approximately 4,300 GM Canada workers, including roughly 3,100 members at the Oshawa plant, and 1,100 members at the St. Catharines plant. Workers at the Oshawa facility will vote using a hybrid in-person / online process, while workers at the St. Cathatrines plant will vote in-person on Saturday. Voting results are expected by late Sunday afternoon.
The tentative deal between GM Canada and Unifor is said to be similar to the deal struck between the union and Ford, and includes a wage increase of nearly 20 percent for longterm team members over the course of the three-year contract, as well as a $10,000 bonus for full-time staff. Unifor members ratified the new agreement with Ford by a relatively slim margin, with 54 percent of the 5,600 Ford workers voting in favor of the new agreement. The new agreement with Ford will expire on September 20th, 2026.
The negotiating process between Unifor and the Big Three Detroit automakers (GM, Ford, and Stellantis) has been relatively smooth so far, especially when compared to the process currently underway between the Big Three and United Auto Workers (UAW) in the U.S. The UAW is currently striking at GM, Ford, and Stellantis, marking the first time in which the UAW has called for strikes at each of the Big Three makes simultaneously.
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Comments
If Unifor votes yes, then the UAW better grow up and agree to some sort of deal here.
Typical response from antarez. Lets insult people with a different opinion than your own. Accuse people of hate when it is yourself that is filled with hate. Lets not have an intelligent discussion. Good deflection there.
I’m sure GMAuthority will have a post today about this, but the UNIFOR members voted YES 80.5% of their Oshawa employees to ratify their new contract for the GM offer. They agreed to 20% for production and 25% for skilled trades over the lifetime of three-year agreement. and COLA will be back by the end of 2024.
Hopefully this gives GM some leverage with the UAW to finally put an end to this strike.