OAKVILLE, ON, July 18,
2024 /CNW/ - Unifor welcomes today's announcement
that Ford Motor Company will begin production of F-Series Super
Duty trucks at the Oakville Assembly Complex in summer 2026 as well
as both conventional and electrified versions of the Super Duty
later this decade.
"This new retooling plan for the Oakville plant addresses our union's concerns
with Ford Motor Company's decision to delay new vehicle production
for a period that was too long, too disruptive, and too harmful to
accept," said Unifor National President Lana Payne. "Working with our local unions and
company executives, we came to an agreement that will not only see
our members back to work sooner, it protects our members' jobs well
into the future."
Under the new plan, Ford Motor Company will begin installation
of tooling and equipment for Super Duty production and an
integrated stamping facility at the Oakville Assembly Complex this
summer. Production of the current generation Super Duty is
forecasted to begin in 2026. Later in the decade, Oakville will begin producing the
next-generation Super Duty, including an electrified version of the
pickup. Oakville will be the sole
initial source of multi-energy Super Duty production.
Production at the Oakville
plant ceased with the final Ford Edge rolling off the assembly line
in May 2024. Super Duty truck
production will replace previous production plans to build Battery
Electric Vehicles (BEV) in Oakville. In April
2024 the Company announced its decision to delay the launch
of BEV production from 2025 to 2027. The delay would have resulted
in Unifor Local 707 members being laid off for more than three
years.
Since the delay was announced in April
2024, Unifor has been engaged in negotiations with the
company to push for additional support mechanisms for workers and
an accelerated resumption of production at Oakville.
"Finding a solution to support our members was multi-layered and
extensive," said Local 707 Oakville Plant Chairperson Marc Brennan. "This shift in direction reaffirms
Ford Motor Company's commitment to our members."
In addition to the accelerated timeline for the launch of
Oakville's next product, the union
also succeeded in extending and enhancing the income security
transition provisions originally negotiated during 2023
bargaining.
Ford's new product commitments will result in an additional
investment of $500 million on top of
the $1.8 billion Ford Motor Company
committed in 2020. As a result of the production volumes of Super
Duty trucks in Oakville, Ford
anticipates increasing engine production volumes at the Essex
Engine Plant in Windsor, Ontario
which employs Unifor Local 200 members.
Unifor is Canada's largest
union in the private sector, representing 320,000 workers in every
major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working
people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in
Canada and abroad, and strives to
create progressive change for a better future.
SOURCE Unifor