Ford Motor Co. and Unifor on Tuesday agreed to a tentative contract, averting a strike hours after the sides agreed to extend talks beyond a midnight deadline.
Unifor President Jerry Dias made the announcement at a downtown Toronto hotel.
According to the union, the deal includes:
- CDN$1.95 billion in combined investment in the Oakville and Windsor plants in Ontario
- Oakville assembly gets a CDN$1.8 billion retooling to build electric vehicles
- Oakville will build five models of electric vehicles
- The five EVs built in Oakville will roll off the line between 2025 and 2028
During the negotiations, Unifor has focused on securing production for Ford’s Oakville plant which is not expected to build the Ford Edge or Lincoln Nautilus crossovers beyond 2023. The sides have also discussed wages and benefits, among other topics.
The contract still must be ratified by unionized Ford of Canada workers. Unifor represents about 6,300 Ford workers, mostly in Oakville and at engine plants in Windsor, Ontario.
The agreement was reached after Ford and Unifor agreed to continue negotiating into Tuesday, despite a strike deadline at 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday.
Dias said Unifor will bargain with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles next.
