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Unifor Local 88 members,
As all members are aware, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a significant public health threat. New and heightened public health restrictions have compelled us to transform the way our union bargains with General Motors and how we will hold our upcoming ratification meeting. The circumstances are far from ideal.
After weeks of preparation and planning meetings over the holidays, we opened formal negotiations with General Motors on January 4, 2021. Your Unifor Local 88 Master Bargaining Committee continues to meet with the company in compliance with federal and provincial guidelines this week. All members will receive updates on negotiations as well as any additional details of our union’s plans for a virtual ratification meeting as they become available. Though we remain far apart on several key issues our Master Bargaining Committee is hard at work to reach a negotiated settlement with the company.
If a tentative agreement is reached, members should be prepared to participate in an online ratification meeting. More details will follow and your patience throughout this process is greatly appreciated. Participating in an online ratification meeting may not be new to all members, but it will come with its own set of technical hurdles and limitations. Local 88 representatives followed the Detroit 3 negotiations in the fall very closely and carefully observed how locals dealt with these challenges. We are confident that this is the best way to include the most members possible in the process. Priority for the ratification meeting will be given to active members only and retiree participation will be limited to Executive Board members of the Retiree Chapter. Under normal circumstances, all members would be welcome to an in-person meeting. But these circumstances are far from normal.
Members will receive more information about the progress of negotiations and details of the ratification meeting as they become available. Please stay tuned and stay safe.
In Solidarity,
Your Master Bargaining Committee
