Unifor calls for Canadian autoworkers to strike against Stellantis

Oct. 30 (UPI) -- The Canadian union Unifor called for a strike against the automaker Stellantis on Monday, just days after the parent company of Chrysler reached a tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers in the United States.

Unifor called for the strike, affecting more than 8,200 workers, after the union said it failed to reach a tentative deal with Stellantis, the parent of Jeep and Chrysler, over the weekend. The strike in the Ontario province, next to Detroit, would affect two assembly plants that make the Chrysler 300 sedan, the Pacifica minivan and the Dodge Challenger and Charger.

"We have made progress and we will continue to negotiate through the night," the union said late Sunday. "We encourage all members to regularly monitor autotalks.ca and your email inbox for more information as the situation develops."

Unifor reached a tentative agreement with Ford Motor Company last month.

Saturday's United Auto Workers union deal with Stellantis has yet to be voted on or ratified but would end approximately six weeks of strike disruptions. The agreement leaves General Motors as the lone major automaker still negotiating with the UAW.

In an earlier tentative deal with Ford, negotiators agreed to a 25% pay raise over the life of the contract. Ford confirmed this week that the strike had cost them $1.3 billion. GM said they lost $800 million so far during the strike.