Unifor and the Detroit Three automakers are set to kick off talks today for the next three-year contracts for autoworkers.
The official handshakes that will start off negotiations between the union and Ford, General Motors and Stellantis come as the rising cost of living and the transition to electric vehicles are front-of-mind.
More than 18,000 autoworkers are covered by the agreements up for negotiations.
Unifor says priorities include improvements to pensions and wage packages, clarity around transition issues related to the shift to electric vehicle production and firming up the automakers' investment and production commitments.
The last round of contract negotiations in 2020 led to billions of dollars of investment commitments from the three automakers, while Unifor says increased momentum on the transition to electric vehicles has brought total promised spending across all of Canada's auto sector to around $25 billion in the past three years.
Talks are expected to stretch into September, with the existing contracts set to expire Sept. 18.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2023.
