Canadian Auto Workers Vote for Strike as Labour Talks Stall
Pausing negotiations to hold strike votes over the course of the weekend, unionized Canadian auto workers at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis have delivered overwhelming strike mandates, authorizing their bargaining committees to take job action, if needed, to achieve fair collective agreements with the Detroit Three.
The current collective bargaining agreements, signed three years ago, are scheduled to expire at 11:59 p.m. on September 18, 2023.
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The Unifor union opened formal negotiations with the automakers on August 10 in Toronto, representing 18,000 auto workers covered by collective agreements.
The strike mandates mirror those handed down by members of the U.S.-based United Auto Workers union last Friday.
“Canadian autoworkers have sent a strong message to D3 automakers that they are united behind our bargaining committees in an effort to improve pensions, increase wages, and secure good, union jobs in the EV future,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Our bargaining teams are set to resume negotiations with the unwavering support of Unifor members across the auto sector. Make no mistake, our union is fully prepared to take any and all necessary action to achieve our collective bargaining objectives.”
Unifor will continue to provide regular updates on the status of negotiations at autotalks.ca.
Needless to say that a strike by auto workers in either Canada or the U.S. would add more delays to customers awaiting their next vehicle, particularly when it comes to EVs. Chevrolet, for one, is set to begin deliveries of the Silverado EV, Blazer EV and Equinox EV shortly.