About 8,200 Stellantis workers were called to strike, just minutes after the automaker and Canadian autoworkers union Unifor reached a negotiating deadline at 11:59 p.m. Sunday.
A collective bargaining update from union leaders, including Unifor President Lana Payne, directed Stellantis workers in Canada to report to their next regular shift to receive instructions from their strike leader. Still, the leaders said negotiators would continue talks throughout the night and said progress had been made in the talks.
“We are extremely disappointed,” Stellantis said in a statement through spokeswoman LouAnn Gosselin. “We will continue to negotiate in good faith until an agreement is reached. We look forward to getting everyone back to work as quickly as possible.”
Unifor had set the Oct. 18 deadline for negotiations to resume before talks with the maker of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram vehicles after General Motors Co. workers in Canada reached an 80.5% deal % approval had been ratified.
The union said in a social media post around 10:15 p.m. Sunday that negotiations “continue with progress” and “stay tuned for further updates.”
In an update Friday, Payne said progress was slow after the company suggested “concessions” to the template adopted by Ford and GM as talks picked up steam that day.
Sticking points cited by Payne included increased pension contributions, protections for employees in bargaining units, anti-outsourcing measures for parts distribution workers and the expansion of bargaining rights to workers at the automaker’s NextStar Energy battery production plant, a joint venture with LG Energy Solution expected in the first quarter Start production in 2024.
At Ford and GM, Unifor secured three-year contracts with wage increases of 10% in the first year, 2% in the second year and 3% in the third year; cost of living adjustments; a halved period of four years to reach top wages; increased pension contributions and a new quarterly general health insurance allowance for pensioners.
The union extended talks beyond Ford’s contract expiration to reach an agreement on September 19. Workers there ratified the agreement on September 24 with 54% approval.
Unifor struck at GM plants for about 13 hours on Oct. 10 before the Detroit automaker agreed to follow the pattern of its downtown rival and put the strike on hold. Autoworkers there ratified their contract on October 15.
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