A tentative deal was reached last week relating to the Oakville Assembly Plant between Ford Motor Co. and its largest union, just as the negotiating deadline expired.
After reviewing the agreement with its 4,200 members, Unifor has announced the new deal was ratified in an overwhelming majority vote of 81% in favour of the three-year deal.
“This is the single biggest investment in the Canadian auto industry in years providing long-term job security for Unifor members. The vote result not only demonstrates our members’ overwhelming support for their bargaining committees and their new collective agreement, but also shows Unifor members have a clear vision of a strong and prosperous Canadian auto sector,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President.
With the new deal, up to $1.95 billion will be invested to retool Ford’s Oakville Assembly Plant to manufacture five new electric vehicles (EVs). Not all of that money will be coming from Ford, as the federal government said last week it would put up $500 million to keep the facility open and bring EV manufacturing to Canada.
It will take some time for that to happen, as the first EV, a crossover utility vehicle, is not expected to roll off the production line until 2025, reports insauga.
This agreement will help set the stage for future negotiations between Unifor and other automakers. The union represents 315,000 workers, and is scheduled to begin talks with Fiat Chrysler later this week.
