GM workers agree to tentative deal
TORONTO — Unionized workers at General Motors have accepted a new contract with the auto giant.
Unifor, which represents the workers, says 64.7 per cent of the members who cast ballots voted in favour of the contract.
The agreement hammered out last week includes a two per cent wage increase this year and another two per cent increase in September, 2019.
There is also a $6,000 signing bonus plus lump sum bonuses of $2,000 in each of the next three years to most employees.
Unifor President Jerry Dias says it’s the best deal the union has obtained with one of the auto giants in the past decade.
General Motors of Canada president Steve Carlisle issued a statement Sunday that says the deal will position the automaker’s Canadian operations at the “forefront of an industry that is experiencing dramatic transformation and change.”
Votes were held Sunday in three Ontario communities: Oshawa, St. Catharines and Woodstock.
The agreement will serve as a basis for Unifor as it moves on to its next round of bargaining with the Detroit Three. Negotiations with Fiat Chrysler are next.