General Motors workers in Oshawa will be watching closely when Unifor begins negotiations with the automaker on August 10, following the ratification of a new three-year agreement with Ford Motor Company.
The Oshawa GM contract talks will form the second stage of Unifor’s 2026 negotiations with the Detroit Three automakers. Unifor confirmed on July 21 that General Motors had been selected as its next bargaining target after Ford workers approved a pattern-setting agreement.
The union represents more than 4,600 employees at General Motors facilities in Ontario, including Oshawa Assembly, CAMI Assembly in Ingersoll, St. Catharines Propulsion and the Woodstock Distribution Centre.
Oshawa GM Contract Talks Follow Ford Agreement
Approximately 5,150 Unifor members at Ford facilities across Canada are covered by the newly ratified agreement. Workers covered by the master agreement voted 74 per cent in favour, while members of two salaried bargaining units approved it by 97 per cent and 100 per cent.
The contract takes effect on September 21, 2026, and runs until September 19, 2029. It includes general wage increases of three per cent in each year, renewed cost-of-living adjustments, pension and benefit improvements and additional job-security provisions.
Eligible workers will receive a $10,000 productivity and quality bonus and a $2,000 bonus during the first year. The deal also renews a no-closure agreement and includes investment and production commitments at Ford facilities.
Unifor said the Ford agreement will serve as the pattern it attempts to negotiate with General Motors and Stellantis. That means the union will seek to carry many of the same economic and job-security gains into the upcoming GM discussions.
Oshawa Jobs Expected to Be Major Issue
Job and production security are expected to be especially important for Oshawa workers.
General Motors eliminated the third shift at Oshawa Assembly in January, resulting in more than 700 direct job losses. Unifor said hundreds of additional jobs were affected at companies supplying the plant. Oshawa Assembly currently produces light- and heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks.
The union had proposed keeping the third shift in operation until the 2026 bargaining period, but GM did not accept that proposal. The upcoming negotiations will provide Unifor with another opportunity to seek production guarantees, employment protections and future investment for the Oshawa facility.
Unifor has argued that Canadian automotive workers face significant uncertainty from tariffs, changing trade policies and production decisions that have shifted work to American plants.
The union’s Ford agreement includes hundreds of millions of dollars in planned investments, including funding for Windsor operations and the Oakville Assembly Complex. It also creates a pathway intended to return laid-off Oakville employees to full employment by July 1, 2027.
GM Negotiations Begin August 10
The Oshawa GM contract talks will begin at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto on August 10. Unifor has not yet released its complete list of company-specific demands for GM.
Likely priorities include wages, cost-of-living protection, pensions, benefits, job security and product commitments at Canadian facilities.
Negotiations with Stellantis will follow the GM round. Stellantis also presents difficult employment questions because its Brampton Assembly Plant remains idle.
For Oshawa, the most important outcome will be whether the union can secure stable production and protect employment at one of Durham Region’s largest industrial workplaces.
Further details are expected when Unifor formally opens negotiations with General Motors in August.
