Toronto, Ontario — Oct. 17, 2019 — The end of the month-long strike between UAW and General Motors may be in sight, as a tentative contract was signed yesterday.
The four-year labour contract–of which terms have not yet been released–is said to offer “major gains” for workers, according to the UAW. Workers protesting by the picket lines, however, are not expected to move until the weekend at the earliest due to pending votes from two union committees.
GM Canada said it plans to resume its Canadian operations quickly now that a tentative deal has been struck. Just recently, the company’s Ingersoll, Ont. branch was resuscitated, allowing the St. Catharines plant to continue operating at a reduced capacity.
The plant shutdowns, along with suppliers affected by them, at one point left up to 5,000 workers in Ontario temporarily laid off. GM Canada said it wants to bring both locations–as well as its Oshawa plant–back to 100 percent operations as soon as possible.
With the strike possibly heading towards its end, UAW will now be moving negotiations to either Ford or Fiat, with both companies having already started initial discussions.
