Unifor says it's facing resistance as GM contract deadline nears

Unifor says it is still facing resistance from General Motors as an Oct. 9 deadline approaches for contract negotiations, while signs of dissent also rise within the union itself as bargaining with the three major automakers continues.

Unifor says it is still facing resistance from General Motors as an Oct. 9 deadline approaches for contract negotiations, while signs of dissent also rise within the union itself as bargaining with the three major automakers continues.

National president Lana Payne says some progress has been made in the talks with GM, but that there's nothing automatic about having the company agree to the same terms the union reached with Ford Motor Co.

The union reached a last-minute deal with Ford on Sept. 19 that Payne said was “extremely good.” It's now trying to get GM to agree to those terms in a tactic called pattern bargaining, where terms set at one automaker are repeated at the others as a way to make sure all members make equal gains.

“I would definitely say we're meeting some resistance,” said Payne. “This is not surprising. The idea of pattern bargaining is not exactly something that these companies love.”

But it's not just GM that Unifor has to bring onside. It also has to convince workers that the deal is good enough for them.

Union members at Ford voted just 54 per cent in favour of their deal, and it was voted down by skilled trades members in Windsor and Oakville.

Members at GM will likely vote in favour of their deal, said Larry Savage, chair of the labour studies department at Brock University, because there's much to gain for the many new hires there.