Unifor Reaches Tentative Deal with Ford, Members to Vote on Wage Hikes and Job Guarantees

Thousands of unionized autoworkers across Canada may soon be locking in three straight years of three per cent wage increases, under the terms of a tentative agreement reached between Unifor and Ford Motor Company.

The union confirmed on Saturday that its bargaining committee had struck a proposed collective agreement with the automaker, laying out the broad strokes of what workers will be asked to approve in an upcoming ratification vote.

Beyond the wage bump, the proposed contract includes a fresh pledge from Ford to maintain operations at the facilities where its Unifor-represented staff are employed a provision likely to ease concerns among workers wary of plant closures or production shifts in an increasingly competitive auto sector.

The agreement also points to new capital commitments from the company, with Ford said to be putting more than $1 million toward upgrades at its Windsor and Oakville, Ontario plants.

Rank-and-file members will have the final say. Unifor said the outcome of their vote on the deal is expected to be made public on Sunday.

The talks that produced this agreement got underway on June 22, timed to a moment when labour contracts with all three Detroit-based automakers were nearing their expiration dates. As it did during the last bargaining cycle in 2023, Unifor chose to sit down with Ford before turning its attention to the other two manufacturers, a strategy often used by unions to set a pattern for subsequent negotiations.

Unifor representatives were not available for further comment on the details of the agreement, with officials saying they would be reachable starting Monday.