Union reaches tentative deal with Ford with nearly $2B in electric vehicle contracts

TORONTO – Unifor says Ford Motor Company of Canada Ltd. has agreed to spend nearly $2 billion on its Canadian plants as part of collective bargaining negotiations.

Under the tentative deal, Unifor National President Jerry Dias says $1.95 billion will be invested in Ford’s Canadian plants, including $1.8 billion toward the production of five electric vehicles in Oakville, Ont., and an engine contract that could yield new jobs in Windsor, Ont.

Dias says the 6,300 union workers at Ford will vote on the deal this weekend.

Talks between the union and the automaker came to a head on Monday ahead of a bargaining deadline of 11:59 p.m eastern time.

Workers had previously voted to support a strike if a deal could not be reached by that deadline, with the future of the Oakville, Ont. plant potentially on the line.

Once agreed to by union members, Ford’s deal on new products lines, shifts, wages, pensions and benefits will set the tone for upcoming talks with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and General Motors.

News from © The Canadian Press Enterprises 2020