General Motors auto workers in Canada have voted to ratify two contracts that will cover 4,614 hourly workers for the next three years.
Unifor, Canada’s largest labor union, said in a statement the evening of Aug. 30 that its members voted in favor of the agreements that secures wage increases and guarantees new product allocations in Canada. Unifor members covered by the broader contract voted 80.5% in favor. Members covered by the GM CAMI agreement voted 96.5% in support.
Jack Uppal, GM Canada president and managing director, noted in a separate statement that the new contracts strengthen GM’s manufacturing operations and provide a solid foundation for the company’s future in Canada.
“The new agreements include meaningful improvements to wages,
benefits and job security, and recognize the valuable contributions of our represented employees while helping sustain good-paying jobs that have long been a cornerstone of Canada’s automotive industry,” Uppal said. “Our represented employees play a critical role in GM Canada’s success. Their skill, dedication and commitment to quality help ensure the vehicles we build continue to earn the trust of customers across North America.”
During negotiations with Unifor, GM said it planned to spend $144 million Canadian dollars to add the next-generation heavy-duty GMC Sierra truck to its Oshawa Assembly Plant and reaffirmed the commitment it made in April to pour $691 million Canadian for the production of new V-8 engines.
The commitments to Canadian production come amid threats from President Donald Trump to double the existing 25% U.S. tariffs on vehicles and parts to 50% by January 2027.
“These agreements commit more than $1 billion dollars (Canadian) in vital investments to Canadian GM facilities, with a new single source next-generation transmission at the St. Catharines Propulsion Plant and the return of next-generation Heavy-Duty GMC Sierra production to Oshawa,” Unifor National President Lana Payne said in the Aug. 30 statement. “GM is making these investments in both its highly skilled Canadian workforce and facilities at a crucial time, as our domestic auto industry is under siege by the Trump Administration.”
What the new contracts include
Similar to the agreement Unifor secured with Ford Motor Co. this July, the GM deal provides union members a 3% wage increase in each year of the contract, improved job security, increases to pensions and other benefits.
The contract increases wages for full-rate production members to $50.20 Canadian per hour, according to Unifor, and skilled trades workers to $62.71 Canadian per hour across the three years of the contracts.
Unlike Ford’s, however, GM Canada’s negotiations with Unifor involved promises to not sell one of its idled plants. CAMI Assembly, in Ingersoll, Ontario, has been closed since October 2025 after GM discontinued the BrightDrop electric commercial van it produced there.
GM's promises not to discharge the plant hold for the duration of the contract. While the deal is the best the laid-off workers could have hoped for under the circumstances, there is no timeline for when those employees may return to work, according to Peggy Falkingham, a laid-off CAMI worker.
“It’s almost like it’s bittersweet. I’m genuinely happy to see that GM wants to invest in its Canada plants. But sitting at home being a CAMI member, seeing the other plants receive major commitments, it’s hard not to wonder when it’s going to be our turn,” Falkingham told the Detroit Free Press before both contracts were ratified. “We want the same thing. We want something to build and a reason to believe our plant has a long future.”
CAMI workers on layoff do not get wage increases or bonuses, though those benefits secured during the contract will take effect once those employees return to work, Falkingham said. The few remaining workers maintaining the plant, however, received those benefits upon ratification.
On Aug. 22, Unifor and GM Canada reached a tentative deal for two contracts slated to expire this September. Meetings and voting on those agreements ― one that covers members employed at the Oshawa Assembly Plant, St. Catharines Propulsion Plant and Woodstock Parts Distribution Centre, and a separate contract for those who work at the idled CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll, Ontario ― were held on Aug. 29 and 30.
What happens to CAMI workers?
According to Unifor, GM Canada has agreed to continue reviewing potential opportunities for CAMI Assembly, though should the Government of Canada approve a Canadian Armed Forces contract, the potential allocation of GM Defense work to CAMI Assembly is on the table.
However, given the uncertainty around when or if a new product will be offered during the life of the new contract, GM Canada is offering a one-time $50,000 Canadian payment for up to 35 eligible production and maintenance workers at CAMI as a retirement/separation incentive. Those payments would be offered on a tiered basis determined by the workers' seniority. Currently, CAMI has 1,029 workers on layoff.
While that timeline would occur at the automaker’s discretion, “predicated on operational requirements,” Unifor said those retirement payments are planned to be completed by July 1, 2027.
For those still waiting, the union negotiated an extension of Income Maintenance Plan benefits for eligible workers on layoff until May 1, 2028.
“We don’t have a lot of detail about what’s happening behind closed doors, but there’s a lot of talk about CAMI building an army vehicle,” Falkingham said. “While the gains and the financial assistance are absolutely wonderful, a lot of us just want to know when we can get back to work.”
Jackie Charniga covers General Motors for the Free Press. Reach her at jcharniga@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Unifor autoworkers ratify contracts with GM Canada. What happens next?
