Salaries should increase by 20% for longtime workers over the next 3 years.
Full-time workers will also receive a $10,000 bonus.
5% of Unifor members voted in favour of this deal.
After a short strike that lasted about 12 hours last week, Unifor and General Motors Canada have signed a new deal that promises better pay for auto workers in Canada.
This was the first time GM workers governed by Unifor in Canada walked out since 1996, but it wasn’t an isolated incident.
Indeed, these agreements are part of an industry-wide wave of union contract negotiations which particularly affect the big 3 American automakers.
In fact, the three-year GM deal is very similar to one that was signed between the union and Ford Motor Company of Canada just last month.
In GM’s case, this means that longtime workers will see their pay increase by 20% over the duration of the contract. In addition, full-time workers will receive a bonus of $10,000, and the wage progression grid will be compressed to allow workers to move faster up the ranks.
GM St.Catharines propulsion plant | Photo: General Motors
This deal will impact about 4,300 workers divided into multiple units, such as the Oshawa Assembly Plant, the St-Catharines Propulsion Plant, and the Woodstock Parts Distribution Center, the three facilities that were involved in the strike.
Both Unifor representatives and GM Canada spokespersons have made positive statements about the deal, calling it “significant news” and “life-changing improvements” for workers, 80.5% of whom voted for it.
Since deals have been signed with both Ford and GM, Unifor will now be turning its sights to the Canadian arm of Stellantis, the former Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles Canada.
Interestingly, despite Stellantis being the smallest of the “Big 3” American automakers, it has the largest manufacturing and logistics presence in Canada, with 8,200 hourly workers employed in nine unionized facilities. In addition, the upcoming Windsor battery plant is likely to be governed by Unifor as well.
Since both the Ford and GM deals are so similar, the future Stellantis agreement is likely to follow the same mould.
Source: Automotive News Canada
