Unifor said it struck a last-minute tentative agreement with Ford Motor Co. of Canada, averting what would have been the company’s second union walkout in North America since Friday. It also would have been the first strike by Canadian auto workers against Ford in 33 years.
The UAW struck Ford at its assembly plant last week in Wayne, Mich., along with two other plants owned by General Motors and Chrysler. But the Detroit 3 negotiations in Canada have been far less confrontational so far.
Top union and Ford negotiators hammered out the deal late Tuesday, six weeks after the bargaining process began in August, and nearly 24 hours after the original strike deadline passed.
“We believe that this tentative agreement, endorsed by the entire master bargaining committee, addresses all of the items raised by members in preparation for this round of collective bargaining,” Unifor National President Lana Payne saind in a statement. “We believe that this agreement will solidify the foundations on which we will continue to bargain gains for generations of autoworkers in Canada.”
The automaker issued a statement but offered no insight into the deal.
“To respect the ratification process, Ford of Canada will not discuss the specifics of the tentative agreement,” Ford said in a statement.