Canada’s Unifor union announces plans for strike at GM facilities

Canadian union Unifor said early Tuesday it would begin strikes at three General Motors facilities in the country after it failed to reach an agreement on a new contract to improve wages and pensions before midnight.

Unifor, which represents about 4,300 GM workers covered by contract negotiations, said it would strike at the Oshawa assembly complex, the St. Catharines powertrain plant and the Woodstock parts distribution center, all them in Ontario.

“This strike is the result of the company’s unwillingness to accept the union’s core demands on pensions, as well as supporting our retirees and ensuring that full-time and part-time temporary workers have a clear path to employment.” permanent employment, among a host of other unresolved issues,” Unifor leaders said in a joint statement.

GM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Recent agreement with Ford

Unifor represents about 18,000 workers at the Canadian facilities of the three Detroit automakers, which also include Ford and Chrysler parent Stellantis.

Last month, the union ratified a new three-year contract with Ford that offered pay increases of up to 25 percent to more than 5,600 workers at its Canadian facilities.

Unifor said last week that GM was “resisting” a number of important elements of its deal with Ford.

The union had chosen the company as its second bargaining target among the three Detroit automakers, after Ford.