Canadian autoworkers have begun strikes at three General Motors (GM) facilities after failing to reach a new labour agreement with the vehicle manufacturer.
Unifor, the union that represents about 4,300 workers at General Motors’ Canadian operations, has started job actions at three sites in Ontario – an Oshawa assembly plant, St. Catharines powertrain plant, and the Woodstock parts distribution centre.
Unifor said members at GM's CAMI assembly plant in Ontario are covered under a separate collective agreement and would not join the strike.
The strike in Canada ratchets up pressure on General Motors, which is also dealing with a targeted strike by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union in the U.S.
In total, Unifor represents about 18,000 autoworkers at the Canadian operations of Detroit’s Big Three automakers, which also include Ford (F) and Chrysler parent company Stellantis (STLA).
In America, about 25,000 UAW members are carrying out targeted strikes against the automakers, as well as at Mack Trucks.
In September, Unifor managed to reach a new three-year contract with Ford that provides workers in Canada with wage increases of up to 25%, averting a strike in the process.
While the Canadian operations of the Big Three automakers are smaller than in the U.S., the companies each have important factories within Canada that are crucial to their supply chains.
General Motors’ stock has declined 8% year-to-date and currently trades at $30.99 U.S. per share.
