Canadian union Unifor has reached a tentative agreement with General Motors covering roughly 4,600 workers in Ontario, following 12 days of negotiations and becoming the second of the Detroit Three to settle with the union this year. The deal closed within hours of the US imposing 50% tariffs on roughly US$20bn of Canadian goods, a coincidence in timing that Unifor used to frame its domestic manufacturing commitments as a direct counterpoint to the trade dispute—even though they were negotiated wholly separately. 

The agreement spans two separate contracts: one covering the Oshawa Assembly Plant, St. Catharines Propulsion Plant and Woodstock Parts Distribution Centre, and a distinct contract for the idled CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. The latter is considered a separate matter due to its origins as a joint venture with Suzuki. Unifor’s GM Master Bargaining Committee endorsed the deal unanimously, although its detailed terms have not been released ahead of ratification meetings scheduled for 29 and 30 August.

In a statement, Unifor GM Master Bargaining Chairperson Trevor Longpre made the connection to Ford’s earlier deal explicit. In his words, the union “emerged with a deal that secures the pattern set by our union with Ford”, establishing a clear attempt to set a precedent for bargaining amid US trade volatility. Ford ratified its own three-year contract with Unifor in July, covering roughly 5,150 workers with a cumulative 9% wage increase and CA$900m (US$645m) in new investments across the automaker’s Canadian production network.

The Ford agreement was always expected to serve as the opening reference point for GM’s negotiations, given that GM and Stellantis contracts were both expiring in roughly the same window. Indeed, there are clear overlaps in both the apparent strategy and the details, although not comprehensively so. Ford’s agreement paired its wage gains with specific capital commitments: CA$500m for Windsor operations, including a third engine shift, and CA$400m for Oakville’s stamping lines that support the Super Duty pick-up. GM’s deal, such as it is currently known, does not offer this; it delivers income and benefit improvements without any comparable investment figure attached. 

It is unclear if any such commitments will emerge as and when the deal is ratified, and that uncertainty leaves the CAMI plant in Ingersoll most exposed. Roughly 1,000 workers were laid off there when GM cancelled production of the electric Chevrolet BrightDrop van in October 2025 due to weak demand. At the time, the workforce had already been cut to less than half of its staffing numbers three years prior, when it made the internal combustion engine Chevrolet Equinox. GM Canada has said only that the site “continues to be assessed for future opportunities,” leaving those workers’ longer-term prospects resolved through Saturday’s parallel contract rather than backed by any confirmed reinvestment plan.

Both the Ford and GM agreements now share the same underlying vulnerability, one which they were very consciously negotiated in light of. US negotiators continue to push for a 7pt increase in the USMCA regional value content threshold, to 82%, with half the value specifically required to originate in the US. If enacted, this would squeeze the economics of Canadian plants regardless of the wage and job security terms locked into either contract. Indeed, the Trump administration’s decision not to grant an automatic 16-year renewal has left all three countries negotiating under an open-ended annual review process indefinitely.

Of the Detroit Three, only Stellantis remains, and Unifor will likely shoot for another iteration of the same basic deal template. Clearly, the union has concluded that moderate demands and relative uniformity across its negotiations are the wiser bet during a period of trade instability. The US’ latest effort to destabilise relations and restore a 50% duty on certain goods could lead to greater caution still.