Unifor begins strike at some GM facilities in Canada
CBC
Canadian labour union Unifor said early on Tuesday it was beginning strikes at three General Motors facilities in the country after it failed to reach a deal on a new contract to improve wages and pensions by a midnight deadline.
Unifor, which represents about 4,300 workers at GM covered by the talks, said it would go on strike at three Ontario facilities — the Oshawa assembly complex, St. Catharines powertrain plant and the Woodstock parts distribution centre — adding to labour unrest across the North American auto industry.
The union said it wants to see GM take its cue from the new three-year contract Unifor reached with Ford, a labour-negotiating method known as pattern bargaining.
"The decision to strike was not taken lightly," Unifor said in a statement. "After working throughout the Thanksgiving weekend and into the final hours before the deadline, General Motors made it clear that they would not agree to meet the conditions of the pattern agreement.
"We cannot and we will not settle for less than pattern — not today — not ever."
The union said it is looking for improvements for part-time workers seeking a path to full-time employment and on pensions, as well as support for retiring workers.
GM was disappointed about being unable to reach a deal at this time but will continue to negotiate with Unifor, the automaker said in a statement.
Unifor represents about 18,000 workers at the Canadian facilities of the Detroit Three automakers, which also include Ford and Chrysler parent Stellantis.
In the United States, about 25,000 United Auto Workers (UAW) union members working for the Detroit Three automakers are on targeted strikes while UAW members at Volvo Group-owned Mack Trucks walked out on Monday after overwhelmingly rejecting a proposed five-year contract.
Unifor last month ratified a new three-year contract with Ford that offered wage increases of up to 25 per cent to more than 5,600 workers at its Canadian facilities. Unifor, which had threatened to strike at Ford, was able to reach a tentative deal without doing so.
Unifor said last week that GM was "resisting" a number of important elements of its agreement with Ford.
The union had chosen the company as its second bargaining target of the Detroit Three automakers after Ford.
The Canadian operations of the Detroit Three are much smaller than their U.S. setups, but the three automakers each have critical factories in Canada.