Auto talks set to begin Monday as Unifor seeks gains
Nearly 19,000 Canadian auto workers face crucial negotiations this week as Unifor and Detroit's Big Three begin contract talks in Toronto.
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Negotiations between Unifor and the Detroit three automakers are set to begin Monday in Toronto as collective agreements approach their September 20 expiration date. Nearly 19,000 Canadian auto workers are affected.
Unifor will target Ford Motor Co. first, following the same pattern used three years ago. Talks with Stellantis and General Motors are expected to follow. The union typically uses pattern bargaining in auto sector negotiations.
Unifor national president Lana Payne said there were strategic reasons for starting with Ford. "While the auto industry keeps shifting and changing around us, Ford is maintaining its footprint in Canada, including the Windsor engine plant, Essex engine plant, and the retooling of the Oakville Assembly Plant. This matters," she said in a statement earlier this month.
Payne characterized the upcoming talks as "one of the most consequential rounds of auto negotiations the union has faced." She added that Unifor is "approaching these contract negotiations with determination, but also with realism. The stakes are incredibly high, and we need to take the most disciplined, strategic approach possible."
The negotiations come as the sector navigates the introduction of Chinese electric vehicles into Canada and uncertainty surrounding the renegotiation of the trade agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
