Canadian auto workers represented by Unifor voted overwhelmingly over the weekend to ratify a new three-year labor contract with General Motors.
The contract covers more than 4,300 auto workers at the Oshawa Assembly Plant, St. Catharines Powertrain Plant and Woodstock Parts Distribution Center in Ontario and expires on September 20, 2026. Members voted to approve the agreement with 80.5%.
“I am proud of our members at General Motors for their solidarity throughout the brief but decisive strike action and for ratifying this agreement with life-changing improvements,” Unifor National President Lana Payne said in a press release Sunday. “This agreement represents true collective bargaining. Our goal was to bring greater fairness and equity to the automotive workplace and lift everyone up. And we did it.”
A tentative agreement was reached between Unifor and GM on Tuesday, a day after Unifor began a strike against the automaker.
Further: Unifor’s Tentative Deal with General Motors: All the Details
According to a model contract signed with Ford Motor Co. on Sept. 24, the agreement with GM guarantees collective wage increases of nearly 20% for manufacturing workers and 25% for skilled trades during the contract. It reinstates the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for the first time since 2008 and provides retirees with a new quarterly Universal Health Allowance.
Hundreds of temporary part-time auto workers at three GM facilities will be transitioned to permanent full-time positions by Aug. 1, 2026, after GM eliminates full-time temporary positions.
“With this agreement, hundreds of part-time workers will be immediately transitioned to full-time status and the abuse of the temporary worker program will end,” Unifor GM Master Bargaining Chair Jason Gale said in a press release.
In addition, the newly ratified agreement shortens the wage progression phase from eight to four years, allowing workers to reach higher wages in half the time. According to Unifor’s press release, members with one and two years of seniority can expect to see their hourly wages increase by up to 73% during the three-year contract.
GM Kanda issued a statement thanking Unifor and its members for their commitment and cooperation, while assuring auto workers a place in the future of the EV transition and the automotive industry.
“Nothing worthwhile is ever easy – and labor negotiations are no exception,” said Marisa West, president and managing director of GM Canada. “Together, we’ve secured an agreement that recognizes the many contributions that our 4,200 representative team members will make, positioning GM Canada to be competitive in the future, through significant increases in wages, benefits and job security. Working together, we can achieve.”
The Detroit-based three automakers — Ford, GM and Stellandis — are targeting plants in Sept. The approval of the contract comes a month after Unifor’s U.S. representative, the UAW, began a strike on 14 The strike has expanded three times, with about 34,000 of the nation’s 150,000 UAW auto worker members awaiting settlement.
