Windsor-Essex employees of the Ford Motor Company have approved a new three-year contract.
Unifor Local had the vote at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
The Unifor agreement gives Ford Motor Company employees a three per cent wage increase each year with added bonuses. The bonuses include a $10,000 productivity and quality bonus that employees will receive in the first year, and eligible employees will receive $2,000 December bonuses.
Employees will also see improvements to the pension program and benefits.
“Our members have ratified a strong agreement that delivers real gains and much needed stability despite unprecedented challenges facing Canadian autoworkers and the entire industry,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Negotiating during a crisis is never easy, but our driving goal was to make a wide range of improvements for all of our members building on the gains made in 2023.”
When discussing job security, the agreement negotiated new measures to secure and stabilize Ford of Canada facilities.
According to Unifor, the Ford Motor Company has committed to investing $500 million to help maximize engine and machine capacity at the Essex Engine Plant (EEP) over the lifetime of the agreement.
A shift in engine assembly is also expected to be added by 2029 to maximize plant engine capacity at EEP.
The agreement was passed by 74 per cent of Unifor members at Ford covered under the Master Agreement and by 97 per cent of Salaried Bargaining Unit members at Local 240.
Unifor chose Ford as its first target for negotiations in the 2026 bargaining cycle. The first target is often used as a guide for talks with the other automakers.
The union will name either Stellantis or General Motors as its next target.
