After weeks of negotiations, Ford and Canadian union Unifor have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract, as we reported earlier today. FoMoCo isn’t yet talking details about this new contract, but Unifor National President Jerry Dias revealed a few interesting tidbits during a news conference announcing the deal. Chiefly among them was the fact that the Ford Oakville Assembly Plant will be building a total of five new electric vehicles.
“I’m very pleased to announce that on behalf of the more than 6,000 members who work at Ford Motor Company, we have negotiated $1.95 billion of investments to retool the Oakville complex to build five models of electric vehicles and bring new product to the engine plant in Windsor,” Dias said. “Today is an historic day. We are not only talking about solidifying the footprint of the auto industry in the short term, but for the long term. I think it’s fair to say that as an organization we hit a home run.”
The new labor contract is still subject to ratification by Ford-Unifor members, but Dias sounds quite confident that it will happen. “Up until today, of the $300 billion announced globally in EV investments as the auto industry transforms from combustible engines to battery-electric vehicles, not one nickel had been allocated Canada. But with today’s announcement, that changes,” he said.
“I am proud of this bargaining team and grateful for the support and solidarity from our members over these past few weeks of intense talks as we worked hard to set a pattern that secures future jobs for our members, and makes significant wage and benefit gains.”
Prior to today’s announcement, the future of the Ford Oakville Assembly Plant, where the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus are produced, seemed tentative at best. As Ford Authority recently reported, Nautilus production will end at the plant in July 2024, while the next-gen Edge, also produced in Oakville, has reportedly been cancelled.
We’ll have much more on this developing story as soon as it’s available, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford business news and ongoing Ford news coverage.
Comments
Electrifying! Sorry, just couldn’t resist the temptation…
So, the next generation Nautilus will be an EV ?
Do you know when the 7-speed Ford Edge ST 2.7 arrives in Colombia? I ordered it in February here in Bogota and it still hasn’t arrived. thank you