Unifor and Ford have reached a tentative contract deal, averting a strike that may have seen round 5,600 Canadian staff hit the picket strains, and offering a roadmap for an settlement for 1000’s of different autoworkers employed by Normal Motors and Stellantis.
Unifor Nationwide President Lana Payne mentioned the deal addresses the considerations of the membership.
“We consider that this settlement will solidify the foundations on which we are going to proceed to discount positive factors for generations of autoworkers in Canada,” she mentioned in a media launch simply after 9 p.m. ET Tuesday.
The settlement was reached a day after the collective settlement with Ford workers expired.
‘Monetary safety’
Neither the union nor Ford provided specifics on what the tentative deal entailed, as members have but to vote on it.
Nevertheless, Unifor Ford Grasp Bargaining Chair John D’Agnolo mentioned the deal “makes the sort of positive factors our members want in the present day and provides larger monetary safety for the longer term.”
Steven Tufts of York College speaks about panorama across the labour motion proper now, saying there is a development towards extra job motion higher offers for staff.
Ford Motor Firm’s largest Canadian plant is in Oakville, Ont., the place the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus are made.
It additionally has two engine vegetation in Southwestern Ontario’s Windsor-Essex area, and elements distribution centres in Leduc, Alta., and some different places in Ontario.
The auto contract negotiations started in August. In an replace to members final Thursday, Unifor mentioned it had rejected two earlier provides from Ford.
Along with pensions and wages, Unifor mentioned it was looking for a deal that gives electrical car (EV) transition assist and secures extra investments with Ford.
Template for future negotiations
Whereas negotiations are going down with Ford, the union is finally looking for new collective agreements for members employed by every of the Detroit Three automakers.
A Ford deal will turn into the template for negotiations with the opposite two automakers, Normal Motors and Chrysler mother or father Stellantis, in what’s generally known as sample bargaining.
The Ford deal comes amid a historic autoworkers strike within the U.S., the place for the primary time, UAW members at every of the Detroit Three are on the picket strains, although the strike motion is just affecting a portion of the U.S. vegetation.
The union mentioned it was looking for wage will increase of 36 per cent over 4 years.
