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Unifor Reaches Tentative Labor Deal With Stellantis, Ending Auto Strike in Canada

Written by Ethan Bernard

October 30, 2023

Canadian union Unifor has reached a tentative agreement with automaker Stellantis, ending the strike at all member-represented facilities.

“Members should report for their next scheduled shift,” Unifor said in a statement on Monday.

In a separate statement on Sunday, Unifor had announced that a work stoppage had been set to begin at 11:59 p.m. that day. The announcement of the deal occurred on Monday morning.

Unifor said specifics of the tentative agreement would be made available to union members prior to ratification meetings.

Also, exact details on the date, time, and location of the ratification meetings and voting process will be shared with members’ locals as soon as possible, Unifor added.

“Once ratified, this agreement will reward our 8,000 represented employees and protect the long-term health of our Canadian operations,” Stellantis North America COO Mark Stewart said in a statement to SMU.

“Out of respect for the bargaining process, we will refrain from commenting until the ratification process is complete,” he added.

Background

If ratified, Stellantis would be the last of the “Big Three” Detroit-area automakers to reach a deal with Unifor.

Unifor members recently ratified a new three-year labor agreement with GM Canada. Additionally, Ford of Canada workers represented by the union ratified a new, three-year labor agreement late last month.

UAW Strike in US

This comes amid news that General Motors has reached a tentative deal with the United Auto Workers (UAW) in the US.

A tentative deal was reached with Stellantis on Saturday, and with Ford last Wednesday.

If these deals are ratified by members, it would bring an end to the strike that started on Sept. 15.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA. in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

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