2023-09-29 20:44:32
Unifor has set the deadline for its contract negotiations with General Motors for October 9 at 11:59 p.m., as union leaders seek terms that will be accepted by both the company and their members.
Negotiations between the union and the U.S. automaker resumed this week, after workers at Ford Motor Canada ratified a new contract last weekend.
Unifor President Lana Payne said the Ford contract was transformative for workers, bringing historic wage gains and improvements to other benefits.
Ford’s contract, however, was ratified by only 54% of workers, and skilled workers in Oakville and Windsor did not support it, raising questions about the support that GM workers would grant on similar conditions.
The skilled trades revolt at Ford will likely spill over into negotiations with GM and Stellantis, Larry Savage, chair of the social studies department at Brock University, observed in an email.
He noted that the vote at Ford reflected a generational divide, with workers near retirement age more likely to oppose the tentative deal because of their concerns about improved pensions.
But GM’s workforce is younger, thanks in part to relatively recent hires at the automaker’s Oshawa plant. The company shut down operations at the end of 2019, only to reopen with many new workers in 2021.
Young workers got many improvements in Ford’s contract, including initial wage gains, a shorter path to the full wage level and a higher minimum wage.
For the next generation of auto workers, this contract is a game changer, no doubt about it, said Jim Stanford, labor economist and director of the Center for Future Work.
Contract negotiations with Unifor are also taking place as the United Auto Workers union in the United States also works to secure new contracts.
The American union began a strike against the three Detroit giants on September 15, before extending it last week, then again on Friday.
The union’s dynamic stance, both in escalating strikes and in its demands for 40% wage increases, has caused some Unifor members to fear that their union has not applied enough pressure.
Mr. Stanford, however, cautioned against direct comparisons with what is happening in the United States. The UAW contract extends for more than four years, he noted, which is why the overall wage increase figure appears higher.
He also noted that the UAW had not yet entered into a contract with guaranteed winnings.
The fact that the UAW strike continues will remind people that collective bargaining is difficult and nothing can be taken for granted.
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Auto industry workers are on strike in the United States. (Archives)
Photo : Associated Press / Paul Sancya
It’s not yet clear how receptive Detroit’s two other automakers will be to Ford’s terms, Stanford said.
Given the magnitude of the economic gains resulting from this agreement, it is not a foregone conclusion that GM or Stellantis will accept it, he said.
GM simply said it looks forward to working with our partners at Unifor to build a competitive future that also recognizes the contributions of our employees to our shared success.
GM’s talks involve approximately 4,300 workers in Ontario, including those at the St. Catharines powertrain plant, the Oshawa assembly complex and the Woodstock parts distribution center.
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