Canadian Auto Workers’ members have voted to accept a new deal with Chrysler, the union announced Sunday.
The CAW said members voted 90 per cent in favour of ratification. Members voted over the weekend in three Ontario cities: Windsor, Brampton and Etobicoke.
It was not immediately clear how many of the 8,000 workers that were eligible to vote cast ballots.
The union’s deal with Chrysler followed agreements reached with Ford and then General Motors in mid-September as part of a pattern bargaining process.
The deal includes a $3,000 ratification bonus, as well as lump-sum, cost-of-living payments of $2,000 in each of 2013, 2014 and 2015.
New hires at all three companies will make $20 per hour, down from $24, but will be able to reach full pay of $34 per hour after 10 years of service.
Union members at Ford voted 82 per cent in favour of the new deal, while GM employees ratified their deal with 73 per cent support.
CAW president Ken Lewenza said Sunday that now that the union has secured new deals with all of the Big Three automakers, his focus will turn to a national auto policy.
"One of our objectives coming into these talks was to position our industry for future growth and success, and we did as much as we possibly could on that front," Lewenza said in a statement.
"But without a comprehensive sector development strategy, the future of auto manufacturing in Canada remains uncertain, at best."
Lewenza said that a national auto strategy will not only ensure the industry’s future, but also avoid a “race to the bottom” in working conditions. Among the union’s proposals are commitments to building an environmentally friendly industry, a buy-Canadian vehicle-purchasing strategy and agreements to maintain a Canadian manufacturing “footprint.”
The CAW represents 21,000 workers at Chrysler, Ford and GM.
