TORONTO — Unifor formally opened collective bargaining negotiations with General Motors on Monday, telling the company it expects a pattern agreement matching the recent Ford deal while prioritizing job security for more than 4,600 Ontario members.Approximately 30% of Unifor’s GM members are currently on layoff. Those include a shift reduction earlier this year at Oshawa Assembly, underutilization at the St. Catharines Propulsion plant despite planned engine work, and the fully idled CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, which has had no product allocated for months.“We have told the company that we intend to talk about those jobs and about the future of the facilities in Canada. This is a priority,” said Trevor Longpre, chair of Unifor’s GM Master Bargaining Committee and plant chair at St. Catharines.The union has set a target deadline of August 21 to reach a tentative agreement. Negotiators will bargain around the clock with the goal of securing a deal that demonstrates a continued commitment to auto manufacturing in Canada..National President Lana Payne said the Ford agreement moved the yardstick forward on wages, benefits, inflation protection and retirement security, and that GM must follow that pattern. She also stressed the need for new investment commitments.“We expect to address investment with them, too,” Payne said. “If a company expects to sell here in Canada, they must also build here in Canada.”Payne noted GM remains the top-selling automaker in Canada yet builds far fewer vehicles than it sells here — roughly 130,000 against sales of about 300,000 — creating what she called a “very big disconnect” that must be narrowed.She said the union is prepared to discuss any options that would put members back to work, including the possibility of defence-related production at CAMI if such contracts materialize, but confirmed GM has not yet presented a full plan for the Ingersoll plant..The talks are taking place against the backdrop of U.S. tariffs and ongoing Canada-U.S. trade discussions. Payne warned that any interim trade deal that fails to protect the auto sector or locks in unsustainable tariffs would not receive Unifor’s support.The negotiations come as Premier Doug Ford highlighted strong provincial job numbers over the weekend, stating Ontario added 52,000 jobs in July — accounting for nearly 70% of all job creation across Canada — and framing it as part of protecting opportunities for workers and families. Auto workers, however, continue to face significant localized pressures and idle capacity at key GM facilities.Unifor represents 2,750 members at Oshawa, 1,050 at the idle CAMI plant, 700 at St. Catharines and 110 at the Woodstock Parts Distribution Centre.You can watch the full news conference below.
