Dive Brief:
- Unifor members employed in Canada by General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis voted to strike if the union can’t make a deal with the Big Three by next month, the union said Sunday.
- The union, representing 18,000 autoworkers in Canada, said more than 98% of its members at each automaker voted to strike.
- Unifor’s collective bargaining agreements with GM, Ford and Stellantis expire Sept. 18.
Dive Insight:
The vote comes days after 150,000 United Auto Workers members employed by the Big Three approved a potential strike next month in a near-unanimous vote. Like the UAW, Unifor’s members want better wages and pension benefits, as well as job security protections, amid the auto industry’s transition to electric vehicles. The union began negotiations with the Big Three on Aug. 10.
Unifor said it paused its negotiations with GM, Ford and Stellantis to hold a strike vote this past weekend.
“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 National President Lana Payne said in a statement.
In addition to representing workers at auto assembly plants, Unifor has 17,000 members employed in Canada’s independent auto parts sector.
