Unifor sets sights on GM as high-stakes contract talks launch in Toronto
· Toronto Sun
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A little under a month after Canadian auto workers inked a new three-year deal with the Ford Motor Company, Canada’s largest private sector labour union is setting its sights on General Motors.
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Monday marks the first day of negotiations between GM and Unifor for their master agreement, which represents more than 4,600 auto workers employed at GM’s assembly, engine and logistics plants — including Oshawa Assembly, the CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, the company’s engine and manual transmission plant in St. Catharines, and the Parts Distribution Centre (PDC) located in Woodstock.
At the top of the union’s agenda are job security, wage hikes, cost-of-living adjustments, and pension boosts. Job protection remains a particularly acute issue in Oshawa following workforce reductions earlier this year linked to the end of the plant’s third shift.
Talks are expected to last until mid to late August, with Aug. 21 set as the union’s internal deadline.
Ingersoll’s CAMI (Canadian Automotive Manufacturing Inc.) plant, originally a joint venture between GM and Suzuki, has traditionally operated as a separate corporate entity from other GM assembly plants, and maintains its own separate negotiation structure — even after GM acquired ownership of the facility in 2009.
According to Unifor Local 88, representing workers at Ingersoll’s CAMI plant, the union negotiated the end of their collective agreement to coincide with the expiration of the union’s main contract with GM — but they still intend to negotiate their own standalone contract.
“When it comes time for ratification, CAMI members will hold a separate, independent vote for the CAMI Collective Agreement,” read an excerpt from Local 88’s website.
“Our members will not vote to accept or reject the GMCC master agreement. Our vote will not affect their acceptance percentage, and their vote will not affect ours.”
GM talks begin after union successfully signing contract with Ford
The current GM Master Agreement, along with CAMI’s contract, are both set to expire on Sept. 20.
“General Motors will be the second Detroit Three automaker to enter negotiations with Unifor, following successful pattern setting negotiations with Ford Motor Company that resulted in significant wage gains, cost of living allowance, bonuses, across the board pension improvements and more,” read a statement from Unifor issued in July.
The talks are set to take place in downtown Toronto, at the Sheraton Centre Toronto hotel on Queen St., just across the road from Toronto City Hall.
Job security, wages and pensions rank at the top of the list of the union’s concerns — particularly after GM eliminated the Oshawa plant’s third shift in January , seeing 500 GM workers and around 1,200 contractor and supply chain support staff losing their jobs.
In a statement issued last month, GM says it’s committed to reaching a deal.
“Since 2020, we have invested approximately C$3.3 billion in our Canadian manufacturing plants, enabling next-generation products that will help secure thousands of Canadian jobs for years to come,” read the statement.