Unifor union members at General Motors Canada facilities in St Catharines, Oshawa and Woodstock voted 85% to ratify a new three year collective agreement that includes significant investments, job security and economic gains.
"This contract solidifies and boldly builds on GM's Canadian footprint, with a C$1.3bn investment which brings 1,700 jobs to Oshawa plus more than $109m to in-source new transmission work for the Corvette and support continued V8 engine production in St. Catharines," said Jerry Dias, Unifor national president.
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"Jobs at all three Canadian sites are secure for the life of this agreement, including at the Woodstock Parts Distribution Centre, which will also see upgrades," added Dias.
Oshawa will be the only GM plant capable of producing both light and heavy trucks, and St. Catharines will produce the engines for those pick-ups.
"After Ford and FCA, this amounts to a hat trick worth almost $5 billion dollars," said Dias.
The Ford deal reached in September includes $1.95 billion in investments to bring battery electric vehicle production to Oakville and a new engine derivative to Windsor and the Fiat Chrysler agreement includes more than $1.5 billion in investment in a state-of-the-art platform to build both Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles and Battery Electric Vehicles.
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By GlobalDataAll three contracts include support from both the federal and Ontario government.
"I want to thank both levels of government for supporting us. We went into bargaining in the middle of a pandemic, facing great uncertainty. Now we can proudly say these three contracts will breathe new life into Canada's auto sector," said Dias.
The new three year GM agreement follows a historic pattern setting deal first reached with Ford that includes 5% increases to hourly rates, a $7,250 productivity and quality bonus, a total of $4,000 in inflation protection bonuses, improved benefits, shift premiums, and restoration of the 20% wage differential for skilled trades.
