(Toronto) Representatives of the Unifor union and those of the three major North American automakers are due to begin talks on Thursday for autoworkers’ next three-year contracts.
The formal handshakes that will kick off negotiations between the union and Ford, General Motors and Stellantis will come as the rising cost of living and the transition to electric vehicles loom large. More than 18,000 autoworkers are affected by these negotiations.
Unifor says priorities include improving pensions and wages, transitioning to the shift to electric vehicle production, and bolstering automaker investment and production commitments.
The latest round of contract talks in 2020 led to billions of dollars in investment commitments from Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. Unifor says accelerating the transition to electric vehicles has brought total spending pledges across the Canadian auto sector to about $25 billion over the past three years.
Talks are expected to continue until next month, with existing contracts due to expire on September 18.