Unifor to hold Ford ratification vote 'before the end of the week'

Unifor plans to have members vote on its tentative agreement with Ford Motor Co. of Canada “before the end of the week,” though precise timing for ratification meetings is still being finalized, a union spokesperson told Automotive News Canada Wednesday.

The union representing about 5,600 hourly workers at Ford assembly and engine plants in Ontario, as well as several parts distribution and office locations, struck a tentative three-year deal with the automaker late on Sept. 19, nearly a full day after its initial strike deadline had passed and six weeks after bargaining began.

Unifor President Lana Payne said the tentative agreement addresses “all of the items” members raised as priorities before talks opened in August.     

“We believe that this agreement will solidify the foundations on which we will continue to bargain gains for generations of autoworkers in Canada,” she said in a statement.

The deal has been unanimously endorsed by the union’s master bargaining committee but requires sign-off from rank-and-file members before being ratified. Voting will open after information sessions held later this week, a Unifor spokesperson said.

But given the current labor environment and the targeted UAW strikes ongoing in the United States, the outcome of the ratification vote is no guarantee, said Larry Savage, chair of the labor studies department at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont.

'HIGH EXPECTATIONS'

“Even if the [Unifor] bargaining team delivered the best contract in a generation, it may still be voted down if it didn’t meet the high expectations of workers given the UAW’s militancy south of the border.”

The aggressive tactics and public demands of UAW President Shawn Fain over the past several months has “raised expectations for autoworkers on both sides of the border,” Savage added.

Neither Unifor nor Ford has released any details of the tentative agreement, though one source with knowledge of the talks told Automotive News Canada that the union had been asking for wage increases “north of 20 per cent.”

After years of belt-tightening at automakers, Unifor is in a strong position to play catch-up in this round of bargaining, Savage said. He expects “significant” wage increases that outpace inflation, pension improvements, and product line and investment guarantees to be part of the tentative agreement.

Whether those expected gains are enough to sway hourly Ford workers, however, will have to wait until the vote, Savage said.

NO GUARANTEE

The tentative deal would not be the first endorsed by Unifor’s bargaining committees to be recently voted down. In July, Unifor members at 27 Metro grocery stores across the Greater Toronto Area rejected a union-recommended collective agreement, resulting in a monthlong strike.

“Unifor had negotiated the best contract in the sector, but workers still rejected the tentative agreement. Having the best contract didn’t matter if you still couldn’t pay your mortgage, or your bills, or pay for groceries,” Savage said.

The ratification vote for Ford workers in Canada also comes against the backdrop of a possible escalation of UAW strikes in the United States.

UAW members at one Ford, one General Motors and one Stellantis plant in the United States have been on strike since Sept. 15. If “serious progress” isn’t made in negotiations before midday Friday, the UAW’s Fain said the union will expand the strike.

—Greg Layson contributed to this report