Canadian union Unifor strikes at GM after contract talks fail

Canadian labour union Unifor said early on Tuesday it would begin strikes at three General Motors facilities in the country after it failed to reach a deal on a new contract to improve wages and pensions by a midnight deadline. Unifor, which represents about 4,300 workers at GM covered by the talks, said it would go on strike at the Oshawa assembly complex, St. Catharines powertrain plant and the Woodstock parts distribution centre, adding to labour unrest across the North American auto industry.

"The company continues to fall short on our pension demands, income supports for retired workers, and meaningful steps to transition temporary workers into permanent, full-time jobs," Unifor National President Lana Payne said in a statement.

GM was disappointed about being unable to reach a deal at this time but will continue to negotiate with Unifor, the automaker said in a statement. Unifor represents about 18,000 workers at the Canadian facilities of the Detroit Three automakers, which also include Ford and Chrysler parent Stellantis.

In the United States, about 25,000 United Auto Workers (UAW) union members working for the Detroit Three automakers are on targeted strikes, while UAW members at Volvo Group-owned Mack Trucks walked out on Monday after overwhelmingly rejecting a proposed five-year contract.

Unifor last month ratified a new three-year contract with Ford that offered wage increases of up to 25% to more than 5,600 workers at its Canadian facilities. Unifor, which had threatened to strike at Ford, was able to reach a tentative deal without doing so.

Unifor said last week that GM was "resisting" a number of important elements of its agreement with Ford.

The union had chosen the company as its second bargaining target of the Detroit Three automakers after Ford.

The Canadian operations of the Detroit Three are much smaller than their U.S. setups, but the three automakers each have critical factories in Canada.

"Everything our members do, from the trucks we assemble, the stamping plant we run, the engines and transmissions we build and the parts we deliver, are all critical to GM's bottom line," Unifor GM Master Bargaining Chair Jason Gale said. "This dispute can only end one way: with GM agreeing to the same terms in our pattern agreement with Ford.”

Unifor said members at GM's CAMI assembly plant in Ontario were covered by a separate collective agreement and would not join the strike.