Unifor sees 'movement' in discussion with Ford, but no deal reached

The union representing about 6,700 Canadian workers at Ford says there has been "movement" in negotiations, but that there is still a long way to go to avoid a strike at midnight. 

Unifor has threatened job action at Ford facilities in Bramalea, Oakville and Windsor, Ont., if a deal isn't reached.

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"There is still a lot of work to do" to come to an agreement, union spokeswoman Denise Hammond said Monday afternoon in a statement to the media, calling it the "most challenging" round of talks with the Detroit Three automakers.

At 10 p.m., Hammond said "high-level discussions" were taking place between Unifor and Ford, but no agreement had been reached. 

"This is now a fight for fairness," Hammond said earlier in the evening. "A fight for our members at Ford who deserve a fair future and deserve gains too."

Union members are preparing to set up picket lines at 12:01 a.m. ET, she said. 

"While we are moving in the right direction and closer to reaching a deal there are too many issues up in the air to be confident," Hammond said.

The next update from Unifor is expected around 10 p.m. ET. 

There hasn't been a strike by Canadian workers at a Detroit Three automaker since 1996.

Seeking pattern deal

Unifor is seeking a deal similar to those it reached with General Motors and Fiat Chrysler America, which included wage hikes and new investment in local plants in exchange for some concessions on pensions for new hires.

"In every round of Detroit Three bargaining, our top priority has been and remains focused on securing a future for good, full-time unionized jobs in the auto sector," Unifor president Jerry Dias said earlier.

"While Ford might want to balk at our priorities and the pattern agreement set with GM, our members are clear: we will not go backwards and accept rollbacks or concessions."

Unifor's deal with the other two automakers was built on a 10-year salary grid — the amount of time it would take for a new hire to max out his or her salary.

Ford has said the labour costs attached to the 10-year salary grid agreed to by GM and Fiat Chrysler are too high and has asked for a new class of temporary full-time workers, Dias said.

University of Windsor professor Tony Faria and labour analyst Arthur Schwartz said one solution may be for Ford to close the Windsor plant, which builds V8 and V10 engines for pickup trucks, and introduce a more fuel-efficient model at the nearby Essex Engine Plant. 

Analysts said a short-term strike would have a limited effect on Ford's wider operations. The Oakville plant is Ford's global supplier of the strong-selling Ford Edge crossover, but data from Automotive News shows the vehicle has a 78-day supply.  

However, Schwartz said that Ford is strike-averse. "It's not in their recent DNA."