Unifor ratifies contract with General Motors

Unifor members at General Motors facilities in Oshawa, St. Catharines and Woodstock have voted by 80.5% in favour of a new three-year collective agreement.

The agreement was supported by a majority of production and skilled trades.

General Motors hi-lights are found below

Ratification Materials available here

Unifor and General Motors have reached a tentative agreement following strike action at Oshawa Assembly Plant, St. Catharines Powertrain Plant and Woodstock Parts Distribution Centre.

It is thanks to the solidarity of you, the members, that it was possible to move General Motors to accept the pattern to the letter, including all items that company had initial fought us on such as pensions, retiree income supports and converting full-time temporary workers into permanent employees over the life of the agreement.

Now that a tentative agreement has been reached work will resume at all GM facilities. Unifor members must report for their regularly scheduled work shift in your plant beginning at 2:30 p.m. today.

Details on the ratification process will be sent via email with meetings to be scheduled in the coming days. A master bargaining brochure and a local bargaining brochure with details specific to all General Motors facilities will be made available in advance of those meetings.

Highlights of the pattern agreement include:

• Base hourly wage increases of nearly 20% for production and 25% for Skilled Trades over the lifetime of agreement.
• By the end of the three-year agreement, a top-rate production assembler will be paid $44.52 per hour, in addition to a forecasted $1.61 cost of living allowance (a total of $46.13); a journeyperson skilled trades worker will be paid $55.97 per hour, in addition to a forecasted $1.61 cost of living allowance (a total of $57.58).
• General wage increases in each year of the agreement with 10% in year one, 2% in year two and 3% in year three.
• Reactivation of the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) in December 2024.
• Wage progression reduced from 8 to 4 years.
• Start rate for Temporary Part Time and production workers increasing from $24.26 to $29.67/hr., further increasing to $30.26 within 12 months, and $31.16 by the end of the agreement.
• The conversion of all full-time temporary workers at St. Catharines and Oshawa, with at least one year of seniority at ratification, to permanent status.
• At Oshawa Assembly, the company has agreed to eliminate the use of the full-time temporary classification by August 1, 2026.
• $10,000 Productivity and Quality bonus for full-time employees (including current temporary full-time) as well as $4,000 for Temporary Part Time.
• Improvements to all pension plans.
• Mandatory company contributions to the DC plan increase from 4% to 7%.
• Defined Contribution plan members will transition to a new Defined Benefits style pension for current plan members and all new hires on January 1, 2025.
• New quarterly payment unique to Canadian retirees, called the Universal Health Care Allowance. These quarterly payments will continue in each year of the 3-year agreement.
• Two new additional paid holidays: Family Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

In solidarity,

Lana Payne, Unifor National President
Jason Gale, Unifor GM Master Bargaining Chair
Trevor Longpre, Unifor GM Master Bargaining Vice-Chair