WINDSOR, Ont. — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Canada says union workers have voted to approve a new three-year deal as part of collective bargaining negotiations with Unifor.
The deal, which was announced last week and voted on over the weekend, will phase in about 2,000 new jobs over the next few years, helping the company bounce back from staffing cuts over recent months.
Under the deal, FCA says $14.4 million will be invested in its Etobicoke, Ont. plant, $50 million will be invested in its Brampton plant, and $1.35 billion to $1.5 billion will be invested in reinventing its Windsor plant to produce at least one electric vehicle.
Unifor said last week it had narrowly averted a strike to reach a deal with FCA on behalf of its 8,400 unionized workers, following difficult negotiations around a pattern agreement put in place last month by Ford Motor.
After Ford’s agreement was announced, the federal and provincial governments said they would contribute millions to Ford’s electric vehicle assembly.
FCA says the new deal follows the benefits laid out in the pattern agreement, adding that it is working with both governments on its electric vehicle investments — although the company did not specify if any government funding announcement is forthcoming.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2020.
The Canadian Press
