Unifor reaches tentative contract agreement with automaker Stellantis

Unifor has announced that it has reached a tentative deal with Stellantis, ending a brief strike at the automaker.

After a deal failed to be reached by the deadline set for Sunday, more than 8,200 workers were heading to the picket line as negotiations continued.

The union said that while the strike was brief, it was an “important act of solidarity and determination.”

“It demonstrated the strength of our union and provided your bargaining team with the means to achieve a tentative agreement that meets both the core economic demands in the union’s pattern agreement and our Stellantis specific demands,” Unifor representatives said in a statement.

#Unifor has reached a tentative agreement with @StellantisNA ending strike action by more than 8,200 members at the company’s Canadian facilities. Ratification meetings will be held in the coming days. #AutoTalks2023https://t.co/8qjatYI9OS pic.twitter.com/8RG3TDr0SS

— Unifor (@UniforTheUnion) October 30, 2023

The deal with the automaker behind such brands as Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep comes after Unifor reached earlier agreements with Ford Motor Co. and General Motors. A strike by Unifor at GM also lasted less than a day.

WATCH MORE: Unifor reaches tentative deal with General Motors that mirrors Ford agreement

Mark Stewart, Chief Operating Officer at Stellantis North America, said he was proud of the negotiating teams and thankful for their commitment.

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

While details of the agreement have not been made public at this time, Unifor had been seeking the automaker to agree to the same core economic terms the union reached with the other big companies.

The process known as pattern bargaining sees the agreement set with one company becoming a template for others.

READ MORE: Unifor strike averted after Ford makes last minute offer

The union said last week it was also working on specifics from Stellantis on its electric vehicle plans for its Canadian plants.

Union members at Ford and GM ratified deals that will see workers get close to 20 per cent wage gains over three years, among numerous other improvements.

In the U.S., Stellantis had seen escalating strikes over the past six weeks from United Auto Workers members at its operations there, but the company reached a tentative deal with the union as of Saturday.

This report was created with files from The Canadian Press

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