TORONTO (AP) — Canadian autoworkers at Ford have voted to accept the contract that their union leadership negotiated last week, their union said Sunday. þþþThe Canadian Auto Workers union said 82 percent of its Ford members had accepted the new four-year deal. The union did not indicate how many of its 4,500 workers at Ford cast ballots. þþThe union leadership reached an agreement with General Motors last week. G.M. workers are set to vote on the tentative agreement on Wednesday and Thursday. Talks are continuing with Chrysler. The union wants Chrysler to match the deals reached with Ford and G.M. þþThe Ford and G.M. contracts cut wages for new hires and freeze pay for current workers. But they also give workers lump-sum payments to cover inflation and for ratifying the deals. þþUnder the deals, the companies will pay new workers 60 percent of the current top wage of $33.89 Canadian dollars ($34.74) an hour, according to the union. That would mean new workers would be paid around $20.33 Canadian dollars ($20.84). They can move up the wage scale and reach the top wage in 10 years. þþWorkers at the Detroit automakers in the United States approved a similar two-tier wage agreement five years ago, but under those agreements, workers do not automatically get the top wage after 10 years. þþFord said significant cost savings would be realized through the wage structure for new employees. Ford also said the deal would create more than 600 jobs in Canada over the contract’s life. þþThe auto companies had said Canada was the most expensive place in the world to make cars and trucks, and indicated they could move production south if the union did not cut costs. þþCanada’s advantages in the past — a weak Canadian dollar and government health care — have all but vanished compared with the United States. In addition, the United Automobile Workers union in the United States has agreed to steeper concessions than the Canadian union, making United States labor costs cheaper. þ
Source: NY Times
