The head of a Windsor-based union local has stated that the groundwork for upcoming contract negotiations is in place.
Delegations from the Unifor locals representing workers at Stellantis' Windsor Assembly Plant and Brampton Assembly Plant met this week at Caesars Windsor to discuss preparations for the upcoming contract talks with the Detroit Big 3 automakers.
Unifor Local 444 President Dave Cassidy, whose local represents Windsor workers, told WindsorNewsToday.ca that the meeting was to discuss the game plan for the coming talks.
"We have our bargaining committees for both Brampton and Windsor Assembly, and we're going to go through some of the logistics, some of the proposals," said Cassidy. "By next week, we will have the sheets into the plants so that people can put their proposals and their 'wants' down."
The contract talks with Stellantis, Ford, and General Motors take place every three years, at about the same time the United Auto Workers (UAW) perform negotiations on behalf of American autoworkers. Cassidy said he does not expect many differences to be ironed out with the UAW, but he plans to get aggressive on the question of Canadian-made products.
"We're both going in at the same time," said Cassidy. "The fact of the matter is that if it comes down to product, I can play nice in the sandbox right until the facts come that it's between us and the UAW, then the gloves go off."
The negotiations come as the Windsor and Brampton plants prepare for Stellantis' Dare Forward 2030 initiative, which will focus on electric vehicles. Both plants were promised a total investment of $3.6-billion last year. The Windsor plant is expected to begin retooling to handle the new product, and once it is complete, the plant is due to return to a full three-shift operation.
The UAW has yet to name an automaker as a strike target for negotiations. This is typically used as a template for new contracts with the other two automakers.
---with files from Adelle Loiselle
