Unifor CAMI members ratify collective agreement with GM

INGERSOLL, ON, Sept. 22, 2024 /CNW/ - Unifor members at the CAMI Assembly and Battery Assembly plants have ratified a new collective agreement with General Motors that achieves significant pay increases, delivers the momentous gains in Unifor's Detroit Three pattern and eliminates a historic pay lag with counterparts at other Canadian GM facilities.

Unifor CAMI Local 88 Bargaining Committee (CNW Group/Unifor)

"For the first time Unifor has successfully negotiated a two-year contract term that will align CAMI members with the union's Detroit Three negotiations to combine the future bargaining power of more than 5,600 GM members. Never again will CAMI members have to wait to play catch-up on wages and benefit improvements," said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

Traditionally CAMI negotiations between Unifor and GM follow Detroit Three master bargaining with Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. The union's current pattern was set in the last round of auto talks a year ago.

The new CAMI contract compresses three years of wage gains in the Detroit Three pattern into the two-year life of the agreement, providing 15% in negotiated wage Increases for production workers and 20.25% for Skilled Trades.

Workers will receive an immediate 10% pay increase with a 2% increase in September 2025 and an additional 3% increase in July 2026.

"CAMI workers have been trailblazers in the EV transition and our bargaining committee was determined to bring home the wage increases, pension improvements and income replacement measures to protect them during this evolution and position them for the future," said Unifor CAMI Plant Chairperson Mike Van Boekel.

Unifor Local 88 members voted 95.7% in favour to ratify the new two-year agreement, which will expire on September 20, 2026.

Other collective agreement highlights include:

• Wage progression to top pay rate reduced from 8 to 4 years
• Skilled trades special wage adjustments
• Reactivation of the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA)
• $10,000 Productivity and Quality bonus for full-time employees
• Improved income security provisions to protect workers during EV transition
• Improvements to all pension plans
• Universal Health Care Allowance quarterly payments to retirees

Unifor Local 88 represents more than 1,300 members at CAMI Assembly and Battery Assembly who manufacture the Chevrolet BrightDrop EV 600 and EV 400 and Ultium battery modules.

Unifor's next round of negotiations with the Detroit Three will take place in the fall of 2026.

Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing 320,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future. 

SOURCE Unifor

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