A last-minute tentative agreement has averted a threatened strike by 9,750 workers at Fiat-Chrysler's operations in Ontario.
Unifor president Jerry Dias announced the four-year deal just minutes before a strike deadline of 11:59 p.m. Monday night.
He said the deal, which followed what he called ``one very difficult set of negotiations,'' mirrors the one reached with General Motors on Sept. 20.
That deal, since ratified by GM workers, includes a two per cent wage increase this year and another two per cent increase in September, 2019. There is also a $6,000 signing bonus plus lump sum bonuses of $2,000 in each of the next three years to most employees.
The deal also includes improvements to benefits, hiring practices and a GM commitment to invest $554 million in its Canadian operations.
Dias said the agreement with Fiat-Chrysler includes a $325 million investment at an assembly plant in Brampton, Ont., and a pledge to upgrade an old paint shop at the facility.
``We were deeply concerned with the fact that the paint shop in our Brampton assembly plant that builds the 300s, the Chargers and the Challengers is over 30 years old,'' said Dias.
``If you don't have a paint shop ... it creates incredible uncertainty.''
Unifor said the Fiat-Chrysler workers will vote on the tentative agreement on Sunday, and if approved, the union said it would immediately hold talks with Ford _ the last of the so-called Big Three automakers.
Fiat-Chrysler employs 9,750 workers at assembly plants in Brampton and Windsor as well as at a casting plant in suburban Toronto.
The Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger are produced in Brampton while the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Pacifica are manufactured in Windsor.