Plans to add production of next generation heavy duty trucks and transmissions and a promise not to sell another idled plant are part of the new collective agreement between General Motors and its unionized workers

Details of the agreement reached Aug. 22 were released by Unifor workers began the process of ratifying the deal this weekend.

The deal cover more than 4,600 unionized employees at the Oshawa Assembly Plant, CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll, St. Catharines Propulsion Plant and Woodstock Parts Distribution Centre.

Among the terms of the three year deal, GM will invest $144 million to add production of the next-generation GMC Sierra heavy duty trucks to the Oshawa Assembly plant.

The union says it also negotiated a new “innovative program” to help reduce the number of layoffs in Oshawa after a third shift at the plant was shelved back in January.

“Based on current customer demand and company volume forecasts for vehicle assembly production, Oshawa Assembly is expected to operate on two shifts for the duration of the 2026 Collective Agreement,” union officials are quoted as saying.

The Detroit-based automaker is also planning to invest $215 million in the St. Catharines plant towards assembly of the next-generation transmission, scheduled to begin in 2029. According to the union, the plant will be the single-source plant for this transmission and will result in the creation of 250 new jobs.

As for the idled CAMI plant in Ingersoll, GM has pledged in writing not to close or sell the plant as it continues to look for “new program opportunities.” The CAMI plant will also be the “first consideration” for allocation of Canadian Armed Forces defence work if GM is awarded the contract by the government of Canada.

The deal provides 3 per cent wage increases in each year of the agreement, along with a $10,000 productivity bonus for eligible members as well as a new December bonus.

The union is set to move onto labour talks with Stellantis next amid headwinds for the auto sector, including U.S. tariffs, the Trump administration’s decision not to extend the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, and the introduction of Chinese electric vehicles into Canada.