Note: The following statement is attributable to Stacey Allerton Firth, vice president, human resources, Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited.
OAKVILLE, Ont., May 1 – Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited and the Canadian Auto Workers union (CAW) have reached a tentative agreement on a three-year national labour contract covering approximately 9,000 represented employees in Canada.
Reaching a tentative agreement more than four months before the expiration of the current contract is unprecedented. Both the company and the union recognized that we had to do things differently if we were going to be successful. We felt that the best way to find innovative solutions to the challenges faced by the industry was to pursue a transparent, practical and collaborative bargaining process.
The agreement is subject to ratification by CAW members and though we will not discuss the specifics of the tentative agreement until after it becomes final, we believe it is fair to our employees and retirees, and paves the way for Ford to increase its competitiveness in Canada.
Being competitive in the long term is critical to the company and is in the best interest of our employees. Ford of Canada recognizes and respects the significant contributions made by our employees every day – contributions which help us deliver high quality vehicles that people love to drive.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank CAW President Buzz Hargrove and the entire CAW national bargaining committee for all of their hard work and professionalism over the past several months. I would also like to thank the Ford bargaining team for its skill and dedication during this complex and challenging set of negotiations. Without the unrelenting commitment of both these teams, this innovative agreement could not have been reached.