General Motors: Unifor Strike Could Be the Beginning of the End of Pattern Bargaining

Canadian union Unifor called a strike against GM Canada starting Oct. 10 after the sides could not reach a new contract for about 4,300 workers across three facilities. This walkout is for the master agreement for the Oshawa assembly plant, which makes light-duty and heavy-duty Silverado pickups, the Woodstock parts distribution center, and the St. Catharines engine and transmission plant. St. Catharines is the nonexclusive engine provider for various vehicles such as Texas SUV production, Silverado production across North America, Kentucky Corvette production, and powertrains for the Equinox crossover. The CAMI plant in Ingersoll, which makes the BrightDrop electric delivery van, is part of a different contract that had its own strike in 2017. The master agreement group has not struck GM since a three-week action in 1996.