BlackburnNews.com file photo of the Renaissance Centre, General Motors headquarters in Detroit.BlackburnNews.com file photo of the Renaissance Centre, General Motors headquarters in Detroit.
Sarnia

Unifor sets strike deadline in talks with GM

If there is no deal between Unifor and General Motors by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, October 9, its members will strike.

The union set a deadline for collective bargaining with the automaker on Thursday.

Negotiations continue in Toronto after Unifor established a pattern in talks when it reached a deal with Ford last week.

Fifty-four per cent of its members ratified the contract. It awarded unionized workers at Ford a ten per cent increase in the first year of the contract, two per cent in the second, and three per cent in the third. Employees will also see improvements in their benefits, pensions, and a $10,000 signing bonus.

"Your bargaining committees are now focused on locking in the pattern agreement at General Motors," said a statement from Unifor. "All of the significant increases to pensions, wages, health benefits, and more must now be bargained with the company."

Unifor also wants General Motors to reduce the grow-in from eight years to four.

"There's a lot of work to do, and we have confidence that our bargaining team is up to the challenge," continued the statement.

Once members ratify an agreement with General Motors, Unifor will set its sights on Stellantis.

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