THUNDER BAY - Unifor and Bombardier have reached a tentative agreement that union leaders say focuses on the customer.
On Thursday, Dominic Pasqualino, president of Unifor Local 1075, said the union and Bombardier reached a tentative deal before the 2 p.m. deadline that could have seen workers walk off the job.
“Thankfully we are not on strike and we worked very hard to negotiate a fair and equitable agreement for both sides with our customers in mind,” Pasqualino said.
Pasqualino was not able to provide any details on the three-year agreement, but he said it focuses on the customer, with both sides giving and taking to ensure the customer is put first.
“The biggest concern was to make sure the tentative agreement would be beneficial to our customer,” he said. “That was the focus of all of our discussions was to make sure the customer would not be impacted and we were making changes in the agreement to improve our ability to deliver cars on time and with the quality required.”
Bombardier issued a statement late Thursday, saying the company and the union have been working together throughout 2017 to reach an agreement that would benefit both parties.
“Our focus throughout this process has always been, and remains, our commitment to our customers,” the statement read. “The hard work, diligence and collaborative negotiations have resulted in successfully attaining a tentative agreement, that we expect to be ratified in the coming days. An agreement that will drive productivity and efficiency at our Thunder Bay Plant and ensure the successful delivery of our projects.”
Pasqualino said the mood of negotiations have been much more positive compared to previous agreements. This newest tentative deal will be voted on by the membership in the coming days and the bargaining committee is unanimously recommending the agreement to its more than 900 members.
