Unifor has chosen which automaker it will target as contract negotiations are underway.
National President Lana Payne announced Tuesday afternoon that the union will target Ford Canada for the negotiations. Payne was joined onstage in Toronto by Ford bargaining chair John D'Agnolo, the president of Unifor Local 200 in Windsor.
Payne had hinted since the official commencement of talks that Ford would get the nod. When confirming her decision Tuesday, Payne cited Ford's investment for its Oakville plant and what she called the company's "transparency" in preliminary talks.
"I was especially encouraged that Ford publicly stated their desire to lead, to craft a blueprint for the EV [electric vehicles] future, knowing full well our priorities as a union coming into these talks," said Payne.
Any agreement with Ford will serve as a template for negotiations with Stellantis and General Motors. The current contracts for all three of the Detroit "Big Three" expire at midnight on September 18.
The four core priorities for the talks were reiterated, which are pensions, higher wages, and a secure future in the transition to EVs. The fourth priority is securing product for plants.
Payne said while there is a lot of work to do and still some areas where they are far apart, Unifor has made headway with Ford already.
"Our Ford committees have made significant progress in a very short amount of time at subcommittee tables and local bargaining tables," said Payne. "This showed me how serious the company was about taking the lead, walking the walk and not just talking the talk."
Unifor's 18,000 members at Ford, GM, and Stellantis have overwhelmingly authorized strike action if needed.
-with files from Adelle Loiselle
