Unifor members working at General Motors will vote whether to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement on Sunday.
The strike deadline was at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, but both sides agreed to keep bargaining overnight to avoid a work stoppage, and around 3 a.m., the two sides reached a deal.
Unifor has already ratified contracts with Ford Canada and Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles. Those deals include a $1.5-billion retooling at the Windsor Assembly Plant to build at least one electric vehicle and new investment at the Windsor Engine Plant to build the new 6X engine.
At the Windsor Assembly Plant, where the third shift was eliminated this summer, the contract will create 2,000 jobs.
The deal for the 1,700 members at General Motors includes new investment too. Over $1.4-billion would be pumped into plants in Oshawa, St. Catharines, and Woodstock.
The parts distribution plant in Woodstock will be modernized with a $500-million investment, stabilizing production at the plant.
In November 2018, the company announced plans to close the Oshawa Assembly Plant. In May 2019, the union reached an agreement with General Motors to save 300 jobs as the plant transitioned.
Thursday morning, Unifor National President Jerry Dias announced the plant would reopen with a $1.3-billion investment. That will pay for a new body shop, assembly line, and improve the paint shop.
Dias said the company would start to hire back laid-off workers in August 2021, and the first heavy-duty truck will roll off the assembly line in January 2022. By March, a second shift will be added, and possibly a third in July of that year.
