Canada’s largest private sector union announces that General Motors (GM) workers have signed a new three-year collective agreement, with 80.5% ratifying it in a vote held in online and in person.
The newly negotiated agreement covers more than 4,300 workers at the Oshawa assembly plant, the St. Catharines powertrain plant and the parts distribution center in Woodstock, Ontario.
Unifor National President Lana Payne expressed pride in the solidarity of GM workers throughout the strike and ratification of the collective agreement. “This agreement reflects real collective bargaining,” declared Mr.me Payne in a statement Sunday. Our goal was to bring more justice and equity to automotive workplaces and uplift everyone. We succeeded. »
General Motors agreed to the terms of Ford’s contract about 12 hours after Unifor members went on strike last week at GM’s Oshawa assembly plant. St. Catharines propulsion plant and the Woodstock parts distribution center.
The terms of the deal match those agreed to last month at Ford Motor, where 54 percent of union members voted in favor of the deal.
The agreement reduces the salary progression grid from eight to four years, reducing the time it takes for workers to reach the highest pay rate. The union said this is especially important for workers at the Oshawa assembly plant, where the majority were hired when the plant reopened in 2021.
Wages for high-level workers in the production sector must increase by 20% and by 25% for skilled trades. The deal also restores the cost of living allowance for the first time since 2008, to protect workers’ wages from inflationary pressures, and will provide retirees with a new quarterly universal health benefit.
The agreement also aims to help many part-time workers at GM facilities move into permanent, full-time positions.
Unifor will now focus on agreeing the same terms with Stellantis. The company has more than 8,000 employees across two assembly plants and a molding plant, and has a larger footprint than Ford or GM.
Mme Payne said she expected tougher negotiations ahead.