DETROIT —
With a midnight strike deadline looming, the Canadian Auto Workers union worked Monday to hammer out the framework for a new national agreement with Ford and avoid a strike that would affect operations on both sides of the border.
If a deal is reached with Ford, it would then be taken to GM and Chrysler to match.
The union sent an update to the membership Monday morning saying that “it is essential that all members at all locations across the three chains stay on the job.”
“Failure to do so will have serious negative consequences on your bargaining committee’s ability to achieve the best possible collective agreement. Our bargaining power depends completely on our collective discipline.”
Ford emerged as the lead company in three weeks of bargaining because the Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker was the most receptive to a proposal to reduce new hire rates whereas General Motors and Chrysler continue to demand a two-tier wage system similar to the one adopted by the UAW.
The CAW has proposed starting new hires at a lower rate and extending the grow-in period from six years to 10. That would reduce cost but ensure Canadian workers would reach top wage - a key distinction from the two-tier system, where a worker may never reach parity with senior workers.
Monday morning, CAW leadership said while high-level talks are focused on Ford, the union continued to talk with all three companies and was prepared to strike if time runs out.
“We do not yet have a deal with Ford, there are many details still to be worked out,” a union update said. “Even at this late stage, negotiations are fluid and it is still possible that talks with Ford could fall apart.
A strike at all three automakers would affect about 20,000 workers: 8,000 at both General Motors and Chrysler and about 4,500 at Ford.
Canadian operations represent about 16 percent of North American production.
The companies say Canada has become the most expensive place to build vehicles while the union says its sacrifices during the downturn are not being appreciated.
The threat of moving production out of Canada has been raised in the rising rhetoric leading up to tonight’s deadline.
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Workers told to stay on job as CAW talks continue
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