Canada’s Unifor Also Reaches Tentative Deal With All Automakers

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Canadian union Unifor wrapped a very brief strike on Monday after reaching a tentative deal with Stellantis. The union’s actions didn’t even last a full day before workers were notified that the strike had ended.

The resulting deal mimics what we’ve seen offered to the UAW after taking on all three American automakers since mid-September, with the Canadian pay bumps looking a little leaner than the percentages seen in the United States. Still, it’s a pretty good deal yielding Unifor members a noteworthy increase in hourly wages and a shorter path to receive top-level pay.


"The agreement puts in place all the elements of our pattern agreement, the protections autoworkers need throughout the EV transition, and next-generation products our members will build for years to come," Unifor Stellantis Master Bargaining Chair James Stewart stated.


Unifor says it’s been offered a base hourly wage increase of almost 20 percent for line workers and 25 percent for skilled trades workers over the life of the contract. Cost-of-living adjustments will also be reintroduced by the end of 2024, along with bolstered pension plans, two additional paid holidays, and some fresh bonuses.


The union said the deal followed the pattern agreement reached in discussions with General Motors and Ford Motor Company.


“I am proud of our members at every Stellantis facility for their quick and decisive action during this brief and effective strike action,” Said Unifor national President Lana Payne. “This agreement will considerably improve the living standards of every Unifor member at Stellantis.”


The two new paid holidays will be "Family Day" and the "National Day for Truth and Reconciliation." There will also be a $10,000 (CA) Productivity and Quality bonus for full-time employees and $4,000 (CA) for Temporary Part Time.


Unifor estimates the average Canadian "production assembler" will be paid roughly $44.50 per hour at the top rate by the end of the three-year contract. This is in addition to a forecasted cost of living allowance of $1.61 per hour. A "journeyperson" (journeyman) or skilled trades worker will be paid just under $56 per hour in addition to cost-of-living adjustments of their own.


The deals have yet to be ratified by union members, at which point a comprehensive list of the terms will be made public.


[Image: Unifor]

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Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Dukeisduke Dukeisduke on Oct 31, 2023

    Why not just go to "journeyhuman"? Lol.

  • Arthur Dailey Arthur Dailey on Oct 31, 2023

    Those wages may seem high to some. But you need to remember that in the Greater Toronto area the average house price is about $1.2 million. That a public school teacher will make about $90k and be able to collect a defined benefit pension when they hit the '85 factor'. That a first class police constable can easily earn more than $110k per year with a defined benefit pension after 30 years. And that firefighters make just under $100k.

    • 28-Cars-Later 28-Cars-Later on Nov 01, 2023

      "That a first class police constable can easily earn more than $110k per year with a defined benefit pension after 30 years. And that firefighters make just under $100k."

      We have a similar situation here if overtime is included, though fireman AFAIK do not get the same about of overtime opportunities vs police who are in shorter supply and also used in overtime details firemen are not (private security, "guarding" construction zones etc.).

  • Jonathan IMO the hatchback sedans like the Audi A5 Sportback, the Kia Stinger, and the already gone Buick Sportback are the answer to SUVs. The A5 and the AWD version of the Stinger being the better overall option IMO. I drive the A5, and love the depth and size of the trunk space as well as the low lift over. I've yet to find anything I need to carry that I can't, although I admit I don't carry things like drywall, building materials, etc. However, add in the fun to drive handling characteristics, there's almost no SUV that compares.
  • C-b65792653 I'm starting to wonder about Elon....again!!I see a parallel with Henry Ford who was the wealthiest industrialist at one time. Henry went off on a tangent with the peace ship for WWI, Ford TriMotor, invasive social engineering, etc. Once the economy went bad, the focus fell back to cars. Elon became one of the wealthiest industrialist in the 21st century. Then he went off with the space venture, boring holes in the ground venture, "X" (formerly Twitter), etc, etc, etc. Once Tesla hit a plateau and he realized his EVs were a commodity, he too is focused on his primary money making machine. Yet, I feel Elon is over reacting. Down sizing is the nature of the beast in the auto industry; you can't get around that. But hacking the Super Charger division is like cutting off your own leg. IIRC, GM and Ford were scheduled to sign on to the exclusive Tesla charging format. That would have doubled or tripled his charging opportunity. I wonder what those at the Renaissance Center and the Glass House are thinking now. As alluded to, there's blood in the water and other charging companies will fill the void. I believe other nations have standardized EV charging (EU & China). Elon had the chance to have his charging system as the default in North America. Now, he's dropped the ball. He's lost considerable influence on what the standardized format will eventually be. Tremendous opportunity lost. 🚗🚗🚗
  • Tassos I never used winter tires, and the last two decades I am driving almost only rear wheel drive cars, half of them in MI. I always bought all season tires for them, but the diff between touring and non touring flavors never came up. Does it make even the smallest bit of difference? (I will not read the lengthy article because I believe it does not).
  • Lou_BC ???
  • Lou_BC Mustang sedan? 4 doors? A quarterhorse?Ford nomenclature will become:F Series - Pickups Raptor - performance division Bronco - 4x4 SUV/CUVExplorer - police fleetsMustang- cars
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