Ford, Unifor avoid strike, plan five electrified models

The union representing Canadian auto workers, Unifor, says it has reached a tentative three-year contract deal with Ford to build five new electrified vehicles at the factory near Toronto that currently produces the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus.

Unifor President Jerry Dias says the deal was reached early Tuesday after an all-night bargaining session. The deal includes $1.95 billion Canadian ($1.46 billion) in factory investments at Ford’s three Canadian factories that employ about 5,400 workers.

$500 million of that is reportedly earmarked for Ford's assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario. The first electrified vehicle, be it all-electric or hybrid, will start rolling off the assembly line in 2025 with production of the fifth starting in 2028.