Dive Brief:
- The autoworkers’ strike against Stellantis in Canada ended Monday just hours after it began once the automaker agreed to the same collective bargaining terms as Ford Motor Co. and General Motors, Unifor said, and Stellantis confirmed in an email.
- The tentative agreement covers 8,200 Stellantis autoworkers represented by Unifor in Canada at five facilities, including two assembly plants in Windsor and Brampton, the Etobicoke Casting Plant and two parts distribution centers in Mississauga and Red Deer.
- Unifor locals 195, 444, 815, 1285, 1459 and 1498 will soon vote to approve the tentative agreement.
Dive Insight:
Unifor initially targeted Ford in its collective bargaining negotiations with the Detroit Three automakers. After making a deal with Ford, the union used that agreement to renegotiate with General Motors and Stellantis, who largely agreed to the same terms.
“The agreement puts in place all the elements of our pattern agreement, the protections autoworkers need throughout the EV transition, and next-generation products our members will build for years to come,” Unifor Stellantis Master Bargaining Chair James Stewart said in a statement.
According to Unifor, over the three-year agreement, Stellantis agreed to raise base wages 20% for production workers and 25% for skilled trades, make cost-of-living adjustments and reduce the time needed to reach the top of the pay scale from eight to four years. By the end of the contract, the union said production assemblers could earn more than $33 (CA$46) per hour, while skilled trades workers could earn nearly $42 (CA$58) per hour.
The automaker also agreed to a $10,000 bonus for full-time employees and $4,000 for part-time, temporary workers, as well as pension plan improvements and two additional paid holidays, among other changes.
In an emailed statement, Stellantis North America COO Mark Stewart said the agreement would “protect the long-term health of [the automaker’s] Canadian operations.”
Stellantis said it would not comment further on the deal until Unifor ratifies it.
