Workers at the CAMI plant in Ingersoll are leaving the picket line and heading back the assembly line.
The workers, who had been on strike since September 17, have approved the deal their union reached with General Motors on Friday. In voting on Monday, 85.9% of the members of Unifor local 88 voted in favour of the four-year deal while 78.7% of skilled trades employees voted to approve the agreement.
While the new contract will give them more money, it will not give them the written assurance Unifor was seeking to make sure GM doesn't move production of the Chevrolet Equinox to Mexico.
"We could not get a letter from GM to ensure lead plant, so we went at it from a different way last week and we made it extremely expensive for them if they want to lay off workers or close the plant in the future," said Unifor local 88 plant chair Mike Van Boekel. "We put a penalty of almost $300-million in place so that if they think they're going to leave at least now there's going to be a lot of money attached to it."
The four-year deal gives each CAMI worker an immediate signing bonus of $6,000, wage increases of 4%, and a $2,000 bonus each December.
"I think we're going to be here for the long term. I honestly believe that," Van Boekel says. "It's a big reflection of the NAFTA battle. I do believe our future is secure. It's a lot better than it was."
In a statement on GM Canada's website, President and Managing Director Steve Carlisle says the ratification of the agreement is welcome news.
"I want to extend thanks to the local and national Unifor teams who have worked long hours together with the GM negotiating team these past many weeks," the statement says. "The negotiations process requires a great deal of straight talk, creative problem solving, and compromise to achieve a positive outcome for both the membership and the Company. Success is also achieved by remembering that we are here to serve our customers proudly and deliver the very best product and services to them."
It's expected the employees will return to work Monday night.
