GM Canada and Unifor ratified a three-year collective agreement on October 15, 2023. (Pictured left to right) Marissa West, GM Canada President and Managing Director and Lana Payne, Unifor National President.
Toronto, Ont. – Today’s ratification of GM Canada’s three-year collective agreement with Unifor is significant news, not only for our people at Oshawa Assembly & Operations, St. Catharines Propulsion Plant and Woodstock Parts Distribution Centre, but also for our communities and for Canada.
Nothing worthwhile is ever easy – and labour negotiations are no exception. I am thankful for the outcome we’ve achieved, and want to acknowledge Unifor National President Lana Payne, Unifor GM Master Bargaining Committee Chair Jason Gale, Unifor GM National Bargaining Committee Vice Chair Trevor Longpre, Woodstock Chair Craig Warnock, and the entire GM labour team for their collaboration in achieving this historic agreement. Together, we’ve secured a deal that recognizes the many contributions of our 4,200 represented team members through significant increases in wages, benefits, and job security, while positioning GM Canada to remain competitive in the future.
This agreement is emblematic of GM’s track record of constructive partnership with Unifor. In the last four years, we kept employees safe during COVID-19; made 10 million face masks for the Canadian government; retooled Oshawa Assembly in record time; and managed industry-wide supply chain issues. We made it through all these challenges with a uniquely Canadian combination of resilience and ingenuity.
A strong GM is important to all of us. Our company’s strong performance in recent years has allowed us to reward our represented employees and invest more than C$2.6 billion in GM Canada’s manufacturing footprint since 2020.
Today, GM Canada embodies the EV transition that is fundamentally transforming our industry. Everyone has a role to play in our future and we intend to ensure our transformation preserves and builds on the value GM brings to our customers, dealers, and communities.
That’s why we’re investing in our people, plants, and products to lead in internal combustion engine vehicles while ramping up EVs – enabling great jobs in both sectors.
Oshawa Assembly continues to produce the Chevrolet Silverado across three shifts and looks forward to building the next generation of full-size pickups. Our Parts Distribution Centers continue to stock and ship parts and accessories to our dealers and ACDelco Distributors across the country to ensure our customers are well supported. St. Catharines will soon begin retooling to build Ultium electric drive motors as well as engines and transmissions for our full-size trucks and Corvette. And our CAMI Assembly remains an integral piece of GM’s all-new BrightDrop business with the addition of a battery-module assembly line expected to begin production in the second quarter of 2024.
No single person can execute a transformation of the magnitude we are seeing today at GM. It takes a team of purpose-led people who are inspired and determined to make a difference and be a part of something bigger. With a strong manufacturing footprint, one of the largest automotive software engineering clusters in North America, an emerging EV battery supply chain and a best-in-class workforce, we have everything we need to build a vibrant and successful future in Canada.
Thank you all for your many contributions. There is little we cannot accomplish when we work together.
Marissa West
President and Managing Director, GM Canada
About General Motors Canada
General Motors of Canada is headquartered in Oshawa, Ontario and is part of a global company that is committed to delivering safer, better and more sustainable ways for people to get around. In Canada, General Motors markets Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles through our strong Canadian network of dealers, as well as OnStar services. More information can be found at www.gm.ca or by following @GMCanada on Twitter, Threads, and Instagram.