Talks between General Motors Co. and Unifor over a new contract at the auto maker' s Cami Automotive plant stalled Sunday over the issue of contract language that would secure production of the Chevrolet Equinox at the plant.
"We want a guarantee that our product's not leaving the plant," Mike van Boekel, chairman of the Cami unit of Unifor local 88 said Sunday.
Job security is a key issue in the talks after GM shifted production of the GMC Terrain crossover – twin of the Equinox – to Mexico earlier this summer.
The union is seeking contract language that would designate Cami as what is known as the lead plant for the Equinox, meaning it would be the first to receive new investment needed to assemble a redesigned version of the vehicle.
A replacement vehicle for the Terrain or other work that would restore a majority of the 600 jobs that were cut when Terrain production was shifted is also among the union's demands.
"They are telling us there is no investment," Mr. van Boekel said late Sunday morning. "We are a long way apart."
If there is no deal by 11 p.m. Sunday, about 2,800 workers will go on strike.
It would be the first strike at Cami since 1992 and the first strike at a GM operation in Canada since 1995.
General Motors of Canada Co. has a policy of not commenting on contract negotiations.
The Equinox, which was redesigned for the 2017 model year after an investment of about $500-million at the Ingersoll, Ont., plant, is one of the hottest selling GM vehicles in both Canada and the United States. It is the auto maker's key offering in the fast-growing crossover segment of the market.
Equinox sales soared 85 per cent last month in the United States, which is the destination for about 85 per cent of the vehicles made at Cami.
Cami produced more than 300,000 vehicles last year, with three shifts of workers toiling six days a week. Smaller numbers of Equinox were assembled at two plants in Mexico.