Ford Motor Company and Unifor, the union representing Ford's auto workers in Canada, have reached a tentative labour agreement. The new agreement includes $700 million in investments and commitments to Canadian production, according to the announcement from Unifor this morning.
Wage and pension changes will be similar to that reached with Fiat Chrysler and General Motors, with workers receiving a signing bonus and four-percent raise over the deal. There is also a new pension program for newer workers.
In a statement early this morning, Unifor President Jerry Dias said that there would be a new "major engine program" at Windsor, Ontario's Essex engine plant, currently home to the 5.0L "Coyote" V8. The other engine facility in Windsor, the Windsor Engine Plant, currently produces 6.8L V10 engines and will continue to do so. Those engines are being phased out, but Dias expects production to last until the next set of negotiations in four years.
Ford's Oakville assembly plant, which produces Ford and Lincoln crossovers, will receive updates for a refreshed Edge and MKX, but will lose Flex production when the model is discontinued in 2020.
The agreement still needs to be voted on by Ford employees, and ratification is not a certainty. Oakville plant Local 707 president Dave Thomas said last month that "the framework agreement between GM and the membership will not suit the needs of the membership in Oakville." That's in reference to the wage and pension changes. The GM agreement was very similar to the tentative deal with Ford announced today. Voting takes place November 5 and 6.
