Canadian autoworkers, represented by Unifor, overwhelmingly voted to ratify a new three-year labor agreement with General Motors over the weekend.
The agreement covers more than 4,300 autoworkers at the Oshawa Assembly Plant, St. Catharines Powertrain Plant and Woodstock Parts Distribution Center in Ontario and expires on Sept. 20, 2026. Members voted to ratify the agreement by 80.5%.
“I am proud of our members at General Motors for their solidarity throughout their brief but decisive strike action and for ratifying this contract that contains life-changing improvements,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne in a press release Sunday. “This agreement reflects true collective bargaining. Our goal was to bring more fairness and equity to auto workplaces and to lift everyone up. We did that.”
The tentative agreement was reached Tuesday between Unifor and GM, just one day after Unifor launched a strike against the automaker.
More:Unifor's tentative deal with General Motors: All the details
Modeled after the pattern agreement ratified with Ford Motor Co. on Sept. 24, the contract with GM guarantees a compounded pay raise of nearly 20% for production workers and 25% for skilled trades over the course of the agreement. It also reinstates a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for the first time since 2008 and gives retirees a new quarterly Universal Health Allowance.
Hundreds of temporary part-time autoworkers across the three GM facilities will also be converted to permanent full-time positions by Aug. 1, 2026, followed by GM's elimination of full-time temp positions.
"With this contract in place, hundreds of part-time workers will be converted to full-time status immediately and the abuse of the temporary worker program will come to an end,” said Unifor GM Master Bargaining Chair Jason Gale in a press release.
Additionally, the newly ratified agreement cuts the wage progression grid from eight to four years, allowing workers to reach the top rate of pay in half the time. According to the press release from Unifor, members with one and two years of seniority can expect to see their hourly pay increase up to 73% over the course of the three-year agreement.
GM Canda released a statement thanking Unifor and its members for their determination and cooperation, while also assuring autoworkers a place in the EV transition and future of the auto industry.
"Nothing worthwhile is ever easy – and labour negotiations are no exception," said GM Canada President and Managing Director Marissa West. "Together, we’ve secured a deal that recognizes the many contributions of our 4,200 represented team members through significant increases in wages, benefits, and job security, while positioning GM Canada to remain competitive in the future ... There is little we cannot accomplish when we work together."
The contract's ratification comes more than a month after the UAW, Unifor's U.S. counterpart, launched a strike on Sept. 14 against targeted plants of the Detroit Three automakers – Ford, GM, and Stellantis. The strike has since expanded three times, leaving about 34,000 of the country's 150,000 UAW autoworker members waiting for resolution.
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