Under the succinct heading of “A Pattern Worth Fighting For,” Unifor has released to its Canadian autoworker members the GM Master Bargaining Agreement, recommending that the membership vote to approve it this weekend. Significantly, General Motors has committed to a moratorium on facility closures over the life of the collective agreement by amending and renewing the existing Letter of Understanding. (AutoInformed: An Awakened GM Agrees to Unifor Pattern Agreement, Oh Canada! – GM Rejects Pattern Agreement – Unifor Strikes)
“In this agreement, we secured the pattern set with Ford. Legacy workers will receive pension improvements for the first time in 15 years. Those hired on or after September 20, 2016, will move into a more predictable and secure DBplus pension plan. Wages will grow substantially over the 3-year deal. Members at St. Catharines secured the same EV transition supports as Unifor members at Ford Oakville, among many other gains. Equally as important: this agreement locks in the special, all-Canadian, Universal Health Care Allowance for our retirees,” Unifor said.*
A Pattern Worth Fighting For.
“As you’ll read in this highlight package, the agreement also delivers gains for members on many GM-specific issues. We resolved a 7-year-long credited service dispute that has affected members hired prior to June8, 2009. We made the company commit, in writing, to never again mandate work on paid holidays. And, impressively, we negotiated the conversion of hundreds of full-time TPTs in Oshawa and St. Catharines, as well as in Woodstock, to full seniority status over the life of the agreement.
“This agreement delivers for our members. In fact, it is an agreement that you, the members, fought for – and won. We thank the Master and Local Bargaining Committees for their hard work and determination in these talks. We join with them in proudly and fully recommending this tentative agreement for your ratification,” the Unifor leadership said.
Some Notable Unifor GM Agreement Details
Core Priority 1: Pension Improvements – For Members Hired Prior To June 8, 2009 Effective January 1, 2024
- The Monthly Basic Benefit and Special Allowance will increase in all class codes.
- GM’s monthly benefit increases by an additional $0.60 and is now aligned with Ford pattern.
- A new Joint & Survivor option will be added effective October 1, 2025. Members will have the option to elect a Survivor pension of 100%.
- This agreement resolves the past credited service dispute for a closed group of several hundred active and retired members. Active DB members whose credited service was affected by the dispute can access the dispute resolution process to validate their credited service
New CAAT DBplus Pension Plan Members Hired On Or After September 20, 2016
- On January 1, 2025, Unifor members hired on or after September 20, 2016 and currently participating in the Defined Contribution (DC) plan, will be enrolled in the College of Applied Arts and Technology (CAAT) DBplus Pension Plan.
- Transferring Unifor members into the CAAT DBplus Pension Plan is a significant improvement for members’ retirement security, including monthly pensions for workers, and surviving spouses, for life.
- This move follows initial conversations between Unifor and GM in 2020 negotiations.
Core Priority 2: Wage Package – Full Rate Employees
- This contract includes general wage increases in each year of the agreement, a Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) fold-in of $1.21 (COLA float resets to $0.05), reactivated quarterly COLA adjustments starting in the fourth quarter of 2024, special wage adjustments for the skilled trades and a one-time $10,000 Productivity and Quality Bonus.
Productivity and Quality Bonus
- A $10,000 bonus will be paid to all full-time employees on the active roll of the company including full-time Temporary Part-Time (TPT) employees. Payment will be made to members on the inactive roll who performed work for the company between January 3, 2023 and the Monday following the notice of ratification, including those who retired prior to ratification.
- Payment will be made to employees on the inactive roll unable to perform work for the company between January 3, 2023 and the Monday following gratification due to maternity, parental or adoptive leaves providing they worked during the term of the 2020 Collective Agreement.
- The P&Q Bonus may be redirected to the Unifor-GM Savings Plan.
- The P&Q Bonus payment will be made no later than November 23, 2023.
Core Priority 3: EV Transition
Improving income security provisions in this collective agreement was a top priority for the bargaining committee. A number of improvements have been negotiated.
- The Supplemental Unemployment Benefit basic rate is increased from 65% to 70%.
- All full-time employees will be eligible for SUB upon completion of one (1) year seniority.
- Eliminated the 50% step-down for SUB recipients.
- Eligible employees will start each new layoff with their maximum SUB credit units based on their date of hire and seniority.
*The Bargaining Agreement came from: Lana Payne, National President; Len Poirier, National Secretary-Treasurer; Jason Gale, GM Master Bargaining Committee Chairperson and Trevor Longpre, GM Master Bargaining Committee Vice-Chairperson.
Ratification meetings will take place for members of Locals 222, 199 and 636 today and tomorrow. The meetings are a mix of in-person and online with combinations of in-person and online voting depending on the preference of the locals. Results will be released Sunday afternoon after the votes from the final meeting are tallied.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Unifor GM Master Bargaining Agreement Voting Underway
Under the succinct heading of “A Pattern Worth Fighting For,” Unifor has released to its Canadian autoworker members the GM Master Bargaining Agreement, recommending that the membership vote to approve it this weekend. Significantly, General Motors has committed to a moratorium on facility closures over the life of the collective agreement by amending and renewing the existing Letter of Understanding. (AutoInformed: An Awakened GM Agrees to Unifor Pattern Agreement, Oh Canada! – GM Rejects Pattern Agreement – Unifor Strikes)
“In this agreement, we secured the pattern set with Ford. Legacy workers will receive pension improvements for the first time in 15 years. Those hired on or after September 20, 2016, will move into a more predictable and secure DBplus pension plan. Wages will grow substantially over the 3-year deal. Members at St. Catharines secured the same EV transition supports as Unifor members at Ford Oakville, among many other gains. Equally as important: this agreement locks in the special, all-Canadian, Universal Health Care Allowance for our retirees,” Unifor said.*
A Pattern Worth Fighting For.
“As you’ll read in this highlight package, the agreement also delivers gains for members on many GM-specific issues. We resolved a 7-year-long credited service dispute that has affected members hired prior to June8, 2009. We made the company commit, in writing, to never again mandate work on paid holidays. And, impressively, we negotiated the conversion of hundreds of full-time TPTs in Oshawa and St. Catharines, as well as in Woodstock, to full seniority status over the life of the agreement.
“This agreement delivers for our members. In fact, it is an agreement that you, the members, fought for – and won. We thank the Master and Local Bargaining Committees for their hard work and determination in these talks. We join with them in proudly and fully recommending this tentative agreement for your ratification,” the Unifor leadership said.
Some Notable Unifor GM Agreement Details
Core Priority 1: Pension Improvements – For Members Hired Prior To June 8, 2009 Effective January 1, 2024
New CAAT DBplus Pension Plan Members Hired On Or After September 20, 2016
Core Priority 2: Wage Package – Full Rate Employees
Productivity and Quality Bonus
Core Priority 3: EV Transition
Improving income security provisions in this collective agreement was a top priority for the bargaining committee. A number of improvements have been negotiated.
*The Bargaining Agreement came from: Lana Payne, National President; Len Poirier, National Secretary-Treasurer; Jason Gale, GM Master Bargaining Committee Chairperson and Trevor Longpre, GM Master Bargaining Committee Vice-Chairperson.
Ratification meetings will take place for members of Locals 222, 199 and 636 today and tomorrow. The meetings are a mix of in-person and online with combinations of in-person and online voting depending on the preference of the locals. Results will be released Sunday afternoon after the votes from the final meeting are tallied.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.