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TORONTO, Oct. 16, 2016 /CNW/ - Thousands of Unifor members, working for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, attended local ratification meetings earlier today and voted to ratify a four-year contract that secures both investment and wage improvements.
"Negotiations with FCA were tough, but I am proud that our union stood united and focused to push for the pattern Agreement that our union originally achieved with GM," said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. "This Agreement helps to shift the landscape in the auto industry and it provides a solid economic increase for all of our members and their families."
All three tentative agreements with FCA were ratified with a majority vote. The production and maintenance Agreement that applies to workers at the Brampton, Etobicoke and Windsor assembly plants was approved with an overall vote of 70.1 per cent, broken down as 69.1 per cent by production and skilled trades with 73.9 per cent. The security, fire and emergency services Agreement was ratified with 91 per cent, while the office, clerical and engineering unit approved the Agreement with an 81.7 per cent approval. All three Agreements achieve the union's key priorities and offers financial gain for members at all three FCA plants.
"I am proud to join with the membership to support this new Agreement. When our union secured the pattern we ensured that our members received the same gains as Unifor members at GM, and no one was left behind," said Unifor FCA Bargaining Committee Chair, Dino Chiodo, Local 444 in Windsor.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles employs 9,750 Unifor members and the new Agreements contain:
- A total of $331 million in investment. $325 million dollars for a rebuild of the Brampton Assembly Plant paint shop, as well as $6.4 million dollars investment for the purpose of upgrades and refreshing die-cast machinery and equipment at the Etobicoke Casting Plant;
- Two general wage increases of 2% each over the life of the contract;
- A signing bonus of $6,000 and a $2,000 lump sum in the second, third and fourth year of the contract, both of which total $12,000 over the next four years;
- Significant improvements to the in-progression wage grid that will provide thousands of dollars of new money in income earnings and higher pay to new members (under ten years of service); and
- Benefit improvements.
With FCA negotiations now complete, Unifor will begin contract talks with Ford starting on October 18.
"In each round of our negotiations, the union has set clear objectives, and so far we have reached these, including our top priority to secure investment and defend good jobs in local communities," Dias said. "With Ford, our union will accept nothing less."
For more information and background, go to www.unifor.org/autotalks16. Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing more than 310,000 workers, including 23,050 at the Detroit Three companies. It was formed Labour Day weekend 2013 when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union merged.
SOURCE Unifor
