Dealers may be interested to note that Unifor has reached a tentative agreement with the Ford Motor Company that covers more than 5,600 members at the OEM’s Canadian facilities, according to an announcement from the union on Sept. 19.
The collective agreement between Unifor and Ford expired on Sept. 18 just before midnight. The new tentative agreement covers members at the OEM’s Oakville Assembly Plant, Annex and Essex Engine Plants in Windsor, Ont. It also covers Parts Distribution Centres in Bramalea, Paris, and Casselman in Ontario and Leduc, Alta.
“We believe that this tentative agreement, endorsed by the entire master bargaining committee, addresses all of the items raised by members in preparation for this round of collective bargaining,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne in a statement.
Payne added that they believe the agreement will “solidify the foundations on which we will continue to bargain gains for generations of autoworkers in Canada.”
Format negotiations opened with the Detroit Three automakers on Aug. 10 in Toronto, Ont., and Ford was selected as the target company on Aug. 29. The negotiations with the OEM focused on setting a pattern agreement for Unifor’s 18,000 Detroit Three members.
