Contract negotiations between workers union, Unifor, and General Motors (GM) officially opened yesterday in Toronto.
As talks open, some 30 per cent of Unifor members at GM in Canada are on layoff, said a union statement yesterday.
The union has set a target deadline of August 21 to reach a tentative agreement with GM.
Unifor is collectively bargaining on behalf of more than 4,600 members at GM facilities across Ontario.
These include the 2,750 members Unifor represents at the GM plant in Oshawa, 1,050 at the idled CAMI plant in Ingersoll, 700 at the St. Catharines Propulsion plant, and 110 at the Parts Distribution Centre in Woodstock.
“We’re entering this next round of negotiations with the solid foundation established by the pattern agreement with Ford, and we intend to have meaningful discussions on company operations and the future of auto jobs at GM in Canada,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
Ford Agreement
Negotiations with GM follow the recent ratification of a new three-year collective agreement with Ford Motor Company.
“Our members expect the Ford pattern to be respected and these talks to give certainty about the future of their facilities,” said Trevor Longpre, Unifor General Motors Master Bargaining Committee Chairperson. “Our bargaining team is ready to work towards a tentative agreement that respects our members and delivers for their families and their communities that depend on these jobs.”
Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 320,000 workers in every major area of the economy.