Canadian Union Reaches Tentative Agreement with General Motors After Brief Strike
After calling for a strike against General Motors Co. just after midnight on Tuesday, the Canadian union representing GM workers reached a tentative agreement with the company just after 1:30 p.m. the same day.
The strike was called by Unifor after the union’s 11:59 p .m. Monday deadline to reach a tentative agreement with GM. Unifor President Lana Payne stated that the strike was a result of GM “stubbornly refusing” to follow the pattern agreement established with Ford Motor Co.
However, GM was forced to come to the table and agree to the pattern agreement due to the shutdown of key facilities. Payne praised the solidarity of the union members and expressed satisfaction with the comprehensive tentative agreement, which includes provisions such as pensions, retiree income supports, and the conversion of full-time temporary workers into permanent employees.
Unifor’s negotiations with GM covers approximately 4,300 workers across various plants in Ontario, including the St. Catharines Powertrain Plant, the Oshawa Assembly Complex, and the Woodstock Parts Distribution Centre. The Oshawa plant, which was previously closed in 2019, was revived for truck production in 2021.
The strike has been put on hold while union members vote on the tentative agreement. The agreement follows the pattern set by Ford and approved by Unifor-Ford members last month.
In response to the tentative agreement, Marissa West, GM Canada president and managing director, referred to it as a “record agreement” that recognizes the contributions of GM’s represented team members. The agreement includes significant increases in wages, benefits, and job security, building on GM’s investments in Canadian manufacturing.
More details of the three-year agreement will be provided to members before the ratification votes. The agreement highlights include base hourly wage increases, general wage increases in each year of the agreement, reactivation of the cost-of-living allowance, and improvements to the pension plan.
Additionally, the agreement includes the conversion of temporary workers to permanent status, the elimination of full-time temporary classifications by 2026, productivity and quality bonuses, and new paid holidays.
The strike by Unifor against GM occurred during an ongoing strike by the United Auto Workers (UAW) in the United States. The UAW strike represents American autoworkers at GM, Ford, and Stellantis NV, with approximately 9,200 UAW-represented GM employees currently on strike.
Unifor’s strike against GM was a result of disagreements over various issues, including the transition of temporary workers to permanent status and the healthcare allowance for retirees. The union had also expressed the need for written confirmation of GM’s announced programs.
The strike did not affect operations at GM’s CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, where the BrightDrop electric delivery vehicles are built. The workers at this plant have a separate collective agreement with GM.
The tentative agreement awaits the approval of the union members through the voting process.
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