CAW and Ford ratify agreement, Chrysler still pending

[RSS Robot]

Filed under: Chrysler, Ford, GM, UAW/Unions, Canada


According to the Detroit Free Press, Ford's Canadian employees have ratified their union contract, making Chrysler the only automaker to not have worked out an agreement with its Canadian workforce. Employees from Ford of Canada voted 82 percent in favor of a new national contract following a weekend's worth of voting.

There are 21,000 Canadian Auto Workers union members, 4,500 of which are from Ford. While General Motors workers are set to ratify a new contract on Wednesday, Chrysler has made no such progress with its staffers.

CAW President Ken Lewenza (shown above) says that a Chrysler deal could come soon, "If they meet pattern, we could wrap up tomorrow," suggesting that Chrysler could follow the lead of Ford and GM's deals. However, the Fiat-owned automaker has reportedly made stronger demands for concessions than that of GM or Ford.

According to the report, the agreement with Ford includes the addition of 635 jobs over the life of the contract, to be filled mostly with previously laid-off employees. 583 workers were laid off from the Windsor plant, while another 280 were released from St. Thomas.

Plans to keep producing engines such as the Windsor-built 5.4-liter V8 engine and the 6.8-liter V8 have helped bolster the deal. Meanwhile, Ford is set to announce that its EcoBoost engine will be built in China because the nation's government has rules requiring domestic production.CAW and Ford ratify agreement, Chrysler still pending originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.


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[simplyconnected]

...Meanwhile, Ford is set to announce that its EcoBoost engine will be built in China because the nation's government has rules requiring domestic production...

I have seen this coming for a few years. It's a sad day as this prevents me from ever buying one. The excuse is pretty lame, too.

More Ford work should go to Canada instead of the orient because of Canadian workers' track record. Notice that this article mentions NOTHING about the contract details. Regardless, I am very happy that the CAW workers have ratified Ford and GM's contracts. Everyone working is grateful to have a job during this depressed economy, and the union demands reflect that. Prior to the talks, all the sensationalists boasted about an impending strike. In reality, the papers couldn't be more WRONG. Good goin', my Canadian brothers and sisters. - Dave