Unifor reaches tentative contract deal with Stellantis after brief strike in Canada

Unifor’s bargaining committee has struck a tentative agreement with Stellantis after a seven-hour strike and a final weekend of intensive contract talks in Canada.

Details of the deal haven’t been released, but the union was working on a contract that patterns those reached at Ford Motor Co. Of Canada and General Motors Canada.

The tentative agreement comes after a seven-hour strike at the automaker.

The deal must still be approved by a majority of the roughly 8,200 Unifor members at Stellantis workplaces in Canada, which include assembly plants in Windsor and Brampton, a castings plant in the Toronto suburbs, two parts distribution centers and several office locations.

Unifor did not release line-by-line details of the tentative agreement, but it likely matches the pattern set in the union’s deal with Ford Motor Co. of Canada in September and reiterated in its accord with General Motors Canada earlier this month. Each of those deals included pay increases of nearly 20 percent over three years for longtime workers, bonuses of C$10,000 ($7,232 in USD) for full-time staff and a path to defined-benefit pension plans for all workers.

As with the union, Stellantis would not share the specifics of the three-year deal, but Mark Stewart, the company's COO for North America, applauded the "commitment and focused effort" of the bargaining teams for reaching a tentative deal.

"Once ratified, this agreement will reward our 8,000 represented employees and protect the long-term health of our Canadian operations," he said in a statement.
 

If approved by rank-and-file members, the agreement with Stellantis will cap off the union’s 2023 round of bargaining with the Detroit 3, locking in historic gains for workers at all three automakers.

Ratification, however, is no guarantee.

Unifor members at General Motors voted convincingly to approve their comparable deal, but those at Ford narrowly ratified their agreement, with 54 percent voting in favor. Concerns among skilled trades members, as well as a perceived lack of pension plan and wage improvements for members already at the top of the pay grid were among the sticking points.

But the content of the tentative agreement with Stellantis has won over one prominent critic of the pattern deals.

As bargaining with Stellantis got under way in mid-October, Local 444 President Dave Cassidy warned his membership in Windsor expected more than workers at Ford or GM secured. Cassidy did not share specific demands, but said “we have some work to do” to secure an agreement that Stellantis workers will sign off on.

In an update to members posted to Local 444's social media channels, Cassidy said he is "very happy to bring back the deal" to members. Cassidy, who is also a member of Unifor's Stellantis bargaining committee, confirmed to Automotive News Canada on Monday that he will recommend his members ratify the agreement.

The deal with workers in Canada brings a tentative end to weeks of labor strife at Stellantis workplaces across North America.

The brief walkout at the automaker's Canadian sites came as about 14,000 Stellantis workers in the U.S. return to work following a six-week strike.

On Saturday, the UAW and Stellantis reached a tentative agreement that will grant workers 25 percent pay hikes over the course of the deal and see the company revive the Belvidere Assembly plant in Illinois that was idled earlier this year. The accord must still be approved by union leadership and rank-and-file members, but workers will return to the job as the ratification process is carried out.

The timing of the ratification vote for Unifor members at Stellantis plants in Canada was not immediately available.

Flavio Volpe, head of Canada's Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association, praised the work of both parties.

"Kudos to Stellantis and Unifor for staying at the table overnight and getting it done," he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "We are hopeful for a positive ratification vote and a conclusion to this historic round of auto talks."

With files from Greg Layson