Unifor opened contract talks with Ford, Normal Motors and Stellantis in Toronto Aug. 10, as each side grapple with the transition to electrical automobiles and the rising value of dwelling for staff all through Canada. 

Official handshakes between union President Lana Payne and high firm negotiators have been adopted by quick closed-door conferences with every of the automakers, because the employers bought first seems at thick binders comprised of union bargaining proposals. 

“I made it very clear to the businesses immediately that our members’ expectations are very excessive,” Payne advised reporters at a press convention following the sit-downs.

“And for good cause. Earnings are up and so is the price of dwelling.” 

The talks comply with a risky three years underneath the earlier collective settlement, which noticed main disruptions tied to the pandemic and microchip scarcity, in addition to an 18-month stretch of big-ticket investments in new and current Detroit Three crops in Canada. 

Additionally they come amid a interval of excessive profitability for automakers, together with Ford, GM and Stellantis. 

Payne mentioned improved wages and pensions, help throughout meeting plant transitions to EVs and additional particulars about promised investments “should be addressed” in any contract the union entertains. She refused to put out particular union proposals, however mentioned Unifor might be demanding “substantial wage enhancements” that “mirror the affordability disaster, in addition to the extraordinary income that the businesses are making.”

On compensation, the automakers confirmed early willingness to have interaction. 

Jacqueline Oliva, head of human assets and lead negotiator for Stellantis Canada, mentioned value competitiveness will stay essential for the corporate, however Stellantis is trying to acknowledge employees. 

“We actually do need to reward our staff by way of compensation and advantages by way of their wages,” she mentioned following the corporate’s assembly with Unifor. 

Jennifer Wright, govt director of communications at GM Canada, mentioned the automaker involves the desk with plans to do “what’s proper” by its staff.

“We acknowledge that they make enormous contributions to the success of our enterprise, and we need to reward them for our success. We additionally have to be aggressive and ensure that we’re doing the suitable factor by our clients and by our enterprise.”

Wright added that a lot has modified within the Canadian automotive trade because the final spherical of talks in 2020, and GM Canada’s and Unifor’s objectives for the continued development of Canada’s auto sector are aligned. 

Likewise, Steven Majer, vice-president of human assets at Ford of Canada, mentioned throughout the contract talks the corporate is trying to create a blueprint for the Canadian auto sector within the EV period. 

“We strategy the method with a typical aim — a vibrant and sustainable future for our staff, our clients, and our communities,” he mentioned in a launch. 

Regardless of the frequent floor, Payne mentioned she expects “powerful negotiations” with every of the automakers, because the union works to safe three-year collective agreements for almost 20,000 hourly staff at Detroit Three meeting and powertrain crops throughout Ontario.

Unifor’s current contracts with the three employers expires Sept. 18, 4 days after these of the United Auto Staff, which represents hourly employees at Detroit Three crops in the US. 

The overlapping talks on each side of the border add an additional component to this 12 months’s negotiations, as the 2 unions enter bargaining with an extended checklist of calls for. 

The UAW has taken a extra adversarial strategy to discussions, scrapping the normal handshake ceremonies with automaker executives and referring to the talks as a “warfare.” 

Most not too long ago on Aug. 8, union President Shawn Fain known as early bargaining proposals from Stellantis a “slap within the face” to members, earlier than throwing a duplicate of the doc in a trash can throughout a livestream. 

Payne, alternatively, has not shied away from partaking instantly with the employers. Together with the handshake ceremonies Aug. 10, she not too long ago toured Stellantis’ Brampton Meeting Plant alongside Mark Stewart, the corporate’s COO for North America. 

However she will not be writing off taking a more durable line. Requested whether or not she expects to be dropping firm proposals in wastepaper baskets within the weeks forward, Payne mentioned she is going to reply based mostly on what the employers convey to the desk.

“We haven’t obtained something from Stellantis but. So, stayed tuned, and we’ll see what that appears like.”