Canada's primary union representing autoworkers has set a date to begin the latest round of bargaining with the Detroit Big Three automakers.
Unifor announced Monday evening that August 10 will be the day bargaining begins in Toronto, with General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis.
An automaker to kick off bargaining with has not been announced yet. Companies have historically used the target automaker's new contract as a template for their own negotiations.
The future of the auto industry and the growth of the electric vehicle will be the focus of the 2023 bargaining series, using the theme "Navigating the Road Ahead".
"National and local union leadership also worked tirelessly to successfully advocate for additional investments and product commitments in our auto plants," read the media release from Unifor. "None of these important developments could have happened without the hard work and dedication of every single Detroit 3 Unifor member. However, with these opportunities come challenges, including lengthy periods to retool our plants for the electric vehicle future, and uncertainty about future transition plans for internal combustion engine powertrain facilities."
Unifor convened a special auto council in May, to discuss priorities for bargaining. There were four chief areas, wages, pensions, transition to electric vehicle production, and confirmation of product commitments and investments for each automaker.
The union will formally give each automaker its notice to bargain on Wednesday, with the talks beginning in Toronto on August 10. Following a mid-August break for Unifor's Bargaining Worker Power Conference and Canadian Council in Halifax, bargaining will pick up again.
Strike authorization votes will be held on August 27 and 28, and the contracts for GM, Ford, and Stellantis will expire at midnight on September 18.
