Canadian auto workers say General Motors will be their next target after members ratified a new three-year labor contract with Ford.
Unifor, which represents about 4,300 workers at three GM facilities in Canada, said Monday it reached a strong deal with Ford and now will try to negotiate a pattern agreement with GM.
President Lana Payne said the union has a lot of bargaining leverage with GM because a factory in Oshawa, Ontario, is working around the clock to build profitable Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks.
“I don’t expect this to be an easy round of talks, and I want to make sure our union is best positioned to move this pattern forward for the benefit of all members, active and retired,” she said in a statement.
Workers at Ford of Canada ratified a new deal on Sunday that raises base hourly pay for production workers by almost 20% over three years, and by more than 25% for trade workers. It also gives permanent workers a $10,000 bonus and adds a cost-of-living adjustment, a mechanism that adjusts wages in line with inflation.
Source: USNEWS