GM, Unifor reach tentative deal at CAMI BrightDrop EV van plant in Ontario

(All figures in Canadian dollars.)

Bargaining between General Motors Canada and Unifor Local 88 wrapped up early Sept. 18, with negotiators reaching a tentative agreement at about 3 a.m. EDT.

The deal, if ratified by rank-and-file members, will cover about 1,300 hourly workers at GM Canada’s CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, replacing a previous three-year agreement that expired Sept. 17 at 10:59 p.m. EDT.

Mike Van Boekel, Unifor chairperson for CAMI, said the bargaining team worked “around the clock” to secure the tentative deal. 

As the union’s strike deadline approached Tuesday, negotiators from both sides agreed to remain at the bargaining table overnight to finalize the contract. 

Neither side released full details of the agreement, including its length, which remains subject to a membership vote.

“We had very clear goals heading into bargaining set by our members and I believe that we have reached a tentative agreement that reflects those goals,” Van Boekel said in a release. 

GM Canada said the contract includes significant increases in wages, benefits and job security.

The CAMI plant produces BrightDrop electric commercial delivery vehicles, which are moving to the Chevrolet brand, as well as Ultium battery packs used in a range of GM’s electric vehicles, including the BrightDrop vans.

At the start of negotiations, Unifor said it planned to focus on improvements to wages, pensions and job security that would bring compensation for the workforce at CAMI in line with other Detroit 3 plants in Canada. 

The union struck master bargaining agreements for members at Ford, Stellantis and GM plants in Oshawa and St. Catharines last fall that promised nearly 20 percent wage increases for longtime members over a three-year term and a bonus of $10,000. 

CAMI, however, has traditionally bargained on a different cycle than other workers at GM Canada, the result of the plant’s founding as a joint venture between GM and Suzuki Motor Corp. Unifor aims to remedy the misalignment in this year’s talks by getting the CAMI workforce on the same agreement as its other GM members.

About 1,100 Unifor members work part time building BrightDrop vans on a single shift. A further 200 hourly staff assemble Ultium battery modules and packs on three shifts at a production facility adjacent to the main plant. 

As talks began, local Unifor leadership said GM Canada committed to upping production capacity at CAMI and returning the van line to two shifts. The move would fulfill a key union demand, ending months of part-time work for a significant number of staff. The automaker did not confirm the plan to Automotive News Canada, and it’s unclear if the commitment is reflected in the tentative deal. 

GM staff with Local 88 will vote whether to ratify the new contract Sept. 22.