MONTREAL - Machinists with Bombardier Inc. voted Sunday in favour of a new tentative deal with the company, but it's contingent on the new CSeries regional passenger jets being built in Montreal.
Bombardier Aerospace, the world's third-largest civilian plane manufacturer, is looking for a place to build its new CSeries of 110 and 130 seat regional passenger jets.
In a meeting held Sunday, unionized machinists voted 82.6 per cent in favour of a contract proposal, conditional on the coveted contract going to the plant in Mirabel, north of Montreal.
The Quebec-based company also has an offer from Kansas City and Missouri's governor and was in Montreal last month in an attempt to persuade Bombardier officials.
A decision on whether the planes will be built in Quebec will be made by July 15.
Both the Quebec and Canadian governments have offered financial aid if the planes are built in Quebec.
In February, Bombardier said it was considering building the planet in the United States due to a robust Canadian dollar.
The union says the CSeries contract could bring with it nearly 2,500 new jobs.
Union spokesman Dave Chartrand says the ball is now in Bombardier's court.
"The employees have done their part in the last round of negotiations and it's now Bombardier's turn to return the favour," Chartrand said.
The union says the main concession would allow Bombardier to hire up to 15 per cent of the employees on a contractual basis, but the new collective agreement will permit Bombardier to save a substantial amount of money.
The new contract includes a 3.25 per cent yearly raise over the length of the six-year deal that would expire in 2013.
Bombardier spokesman Marc Duchesne said the acceptance of the tentative deal "is favourable" to Mirabel getting the contract.
Duchesne said the acceptance of a six-year pact assured stability and the ability to hire contract employees will give Bombardier some flexibility in the wake of a fluctuating aerospace market.
The Bombardier spokesman added the company will consider its options until mid-July, after which both sides could return to the table.
Nearly 2,000 of the 5,600 unionized employees voted at Montreal's Palais des Congres on Sunday.
