Unifor reached tentative agreements with General Motors on Aug. 22, according to the Canadian labor union that represents autoworkers in that country, after 12 days of negotiations.
The agreements apply to two contracts: 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.
The agreements are unanimously endorsed by the Unifor General Motors Master Bargaining Committee, the union said in a statement. The current contracts with GM expire in September.
“Our bargaining committee worked diligently to reach these agreements, which deliver strong income and benefit gains,
amid some of the most challenging times in our history,” Unifor National President Lana Payne said.
Details of the agreements, which must be ratified by union members, were not immediately released. Members were to learn more at ratification meetings scheduled Aug. 29 and 30.
GM was the second Detroit Three automaker to negotiate with Unifor. Successful talks with Ford Motor Co. ended on July 11 after negotiations began June 22.
“We entered this round of talks in the midst of tariff uncertainty and relentless U.S. trade aggression,” Unifor GM Master Bargaining Chairperson Trevor Longpre said on Aug. 22. “Thanks to the hard work of every member of our negotiating team, we emerged with a deal that secures the pattern set by our union with Ford.”
Jack Uppal, GM Canada president and managing director, noted in a separate statement that the agreements covering GM's approximately 4,600 union employees in Canada remain subject to member ratification.
The agreement, he noted, recognizes “the many contributions of our represented team members with important increases in wages, benefits and job security while building on GM’s investments in Canadian manufacturing.”
One of the issues Unifor hoped to resolve during the negotiations was the fate of about 1,000 employees at CAMI Assembly in Ingersoll, Ontario — roughly 140 miles from Detroit — who were laid off when GM cut production of the electric Chevrolet BrightDrop van in October 2025 due to low demand for the van.
The reason why CAMI is on a separate contract negotiation cadence stems from its time as a joint venture with Japanese automaker Suzuki.
Those workers, fewer than half of what GM had employed at CAMI just over three years prior when the plant manufactured the gas-powered Chevrolet Equinox, either accepted indefinite layoffs, found other positions or left the company entirely.
Since its closure, GM Canada has said that CAMI continues to be assessed for future opportunities.
Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector and represents 320,000 workers.
Jackie Charniga covers General Motors for the Free Press. Reach her at jcharniga@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Unifor, GM reach tentative deals for Canadian autoworkers
