The Canadian Federation of Labor begins strike against Stellantis
Updated October 30, 2023 at 05:40 AM EST
Top line
Members of the Canadian Unifor labor union used by Stellantis — which makes Chrysler and Dodge vehicles — have gone on strike against the automaker after the two sides failed to agree on a contract deal before a midnight deadline Sunday.
Key facts
In a statement on social media, Unifor said 8,200 members are on strike and have begun a sit-in at the carmaker’s facilities.
The union said most of the striking workers are from Stellantis facilities in southern Ontario, including assembly plants in Windsor and Brampton, a casting plant in Etobicoke, and a parts distribution center in Mississauga.
In an earlier notice on its website, the union informed its workers that they must report for their next scheduled shift for the sit-in, and the group’s leadership will keep them informed of the negotiations.
The union statement added that talks between Unifor and the Detroit automaker “will continue through the night.”
Main critic
In response to the work stoppage, Stellantis said: “We are very disappointed. We will continue to bargain in good faith until an agreement is reached. We look forward to getting everyone back to work as soon as possible.”
What to watch for?
In bargaining with automakers for new contracts, Unifor uses an approach called “model bargaining,” in which a deal with one Detroit automaker is supposed to provide a blueprint for similar agreements for workers employed at the other two companies. Unifor recently ratified deals with both Ford and General Motors, with Stellantis the only remaining holdout. Ford was able to avoid a shutdown by agreeing to a tentative deal in September. An agreement was reached between Unifor and GM just one day after the union began a strike against the company.
Main background
The strike against Stellantis in Canada comes less than 48 hours after the Dodge and Ram truck maker agreed to a tentative deal with the United Auto Workers after a nearly six-week strike against the Big Three automakers in Detroit in the U.S. The Stellantis initial strike came Following one strike occurred between the UAW and Ford. General Motors remains the only one standing in the US’s blows.
In-depth reading
UAW reaches tentative contract deal with Stellantis — leaving only GM to negotiate (Forbes)
Ford reaches a tentative agreement with the Canadian Federation of Labor to avoid double strikes (Forbes)
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(Tags for translation) Unifor
