Unifor members join UAW in voting to strike Detroit 3, if necessary

Unifor members at the Detroit 3 automakers followed the lead of the UAW and delivered overwhelming strike mandates, authorizing job action, if the union and the companies can’t agree on a new collective bargaining agreement.

Unifor’s current contracts with Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Chrysler parent Stellantis expire at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sept. 18, 2023.

The two sides opened formal negotiations Aug. 10 in Toronto.

Unifor paused negotiations to hold the strike votes over the course of the weekend. The results of the strike votes are tabulated and broken down by company below. The results were similar to the votes by UAW members announced Friday.

On Aug. 27, Unifor said it will continue to provide regular updates on the status of negotiations at the autotalks.ca website.

Union President Lana Payne previously said “members’ expectations are very high.”

“Canadian autoworkers have sent a strong message to [Detroit 3] automakers that they are united behind our bargaining committees in an effort to improve pensions, increase wages, and secure good, union jobs in the EV future,” Payne said in a statement on Sunday. “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 is Canada's largest union in the private sector and represents 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy, with 18,000 autoworkers covered by collective agreements.