Gary Zhou 
Key Points
- 🤝 General Motors Canada and Canadian union Unifor reached a tentative agreement following a brief strike.
- 🏭 The agreement covers around 4,300 workers at GM’s Ontario plants, including the Oshawa Assembly Plant, St. Catharines powertrain facility, and the Woodstock parts distribution facility.
- 📜 The deal includes significant benefits for workers, such as nearly 20% hourly wage increases over three years, a return to defined benefit pensions for all workers, and a compressed wage grid to reach top-end pay in four years.
- 💰 Workers are set to receive one-time bonuses, including a CA$10,000 bonus for full-time workers and a CA$4,000 bonus for temporary part-time workers.
- 🗳️ The tentative agreement must still be fully approved by the union’s members, with a vote expected in the coming days.
Canadian union Unifor and General Motors Canada reached a tentative agreement on Tuesday. The agreement between the two parties was reached following a brief strike at GM’s three Ontario plants, which are essential to the automaker’s operations in North America.
The tentative agreement covers almost 4,300 workers at GM’s Oshawa Assembly Plant and the company’s St. Catharines powertrain facility. Workers at GM’s parts distribution facility in Woodstock are also covered by the tentative agreement, according to an Automotive News report.
Unifor President Lana Payne noted that GM fell in line with the pattern agreement that the union was able to set last month with Ford Canada. This was despite GM seemingly showing some resistance to the agreement over the long Canadian holiday weekend.
“When faced with the shutdown of these key facilities General Motors had no choice but to get serious at the table and agree to the pattern,” Payne said.
GM Canada President Marissa West issued a comment about the matter. “This record agreement… recognizes the many contributions of our represented team members with significant increases in wages, benefits, and job security while building on GM’s historic investments in Canadian manufacturing,” she said.
The deal includes hourly wage increases of almost 20% for longtime members over the contract’s three-year period, as well as a path back to defined benefit pensions for all workers. A compressed wage grid was also included that should enable workers to reach top-end pay in four years instead of eight. A one-time CA$10,000 bonus ($7,357 USD) for full-time workers and a CA$4,000 bonus ($2,942 USD) for temporary part-time workers was also included.
The deal, however, must still be fully approved by the union’s members. A vote on the tentative agreement is expected to be held in the coming days.
