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Unifor Local 444 and NextStar Energy battery plant officials have been holding meetings for over a month as the two sides try to negotiate a first collective agreement that would also certify the union as the representative of the plant’s hourly workers.
The next step in the process towards a deal is a pair of informational meetings with NextStar’s hourly workers on January 17 at the union’s hall on Turner Road.
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“We’ve been meeting through the month of December and we’ve got to a point where it made sense to involve the workers from NextStar to decide what a collective agreement would look like,” Unifor Local 444 president James Stewart told the Star.
“Without worker input, you can’t bargain a collective agreement. The next step was to pause the discussions and get input from the workers and make sure the workers knew what was happening.”
The battery plant is expected to eventually have a mix of about 2,500 hourly and management employees when it reaches full production. Employment numbers will be gradually ramped up to coincide with market demand.
Module production is currently underway, with the giant battery cell plant expected to come online by the middle of 2025.
Negotiations with NextStar Energy have been “amicable and respectful,” said Stewart. The plant is a joint venture between LG Energy Solution and Stellantis and will supply the automaker with batteries for its assembly plants across North America.
“They (NextStar) recognize ultimately it’s not their decision, it’s the workers’ decision,” said Stewart of the negotiations to unionize the workforce.
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“They recognize this is a result of our bargaining from 2020 with the commitment to getting some EV investments in Canada and the Stellantis/LG Energy Solution joint venture.”
Though there’s no deadline for completing negotiations, Stewart is confident a deal will be reached in a matter of weeks rather than months.
“The idea is to get it done as soon as possible in a fair and equitable manner,” Stewart said. “There’s no deadline, but it doesn’t make sense to drag this out.”
Stewart added both joint venture partners appear to have accepted the union’s position on the battery plant’s direct relationship with Stellantis’s assembly plants.
“The plant would be based off our collective agreements based on the fact the new energy platform, which is a battery, would be like our engine lines in the plant,” Stewart said.
“For us, it’s a direct relationship to the plant. That gave us the grounds in bargaining that it would be unionized. Stellantis is aware of our position.
“I think it made sense to them that this process is best for everyone. They also recognize Unifor is the bargaining agent for auto in Canada.”
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Stewart said much of the negotiations to date have been focused on building the framework of the new CBA. He added the contract is being negotiated with NextStar Energy, not directly with Stellantis.
“Because it’s a joint venture, Stellantis already has a concept of what the collective agreement would entail,” Stewart said.
“The discussion has been around what articles may be involved in the collective agreement. The nuts and bolts (for example, requests for wages/benefits) will be decided with the members.
“However, it doesn’t mean the same details of a collective agreement (as at Windsor Assembly).”
Stewart said these negotiations are breaking new ground in Canada due to the unique aspects of the battery industry. The union has been studying labour agreements at other battery plants and looking at the facility like another Tier 1 supplier.
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“This is a brand-new industry, the first of its kind in Canada,” Stewart said.
“As we’re going through the process, we’re also looking at what’s happening in the states and around the world to try and determine what makes sense to us.
“As far as we’re concerned, this will be no different than a Tier 1 supplier. It’s a very skilled workplace, a high-tech skilled workforce.
“Until we have an agreement in place and have access, so to speak, it’s hard to identify how the work gets done. Quality is everything coming out of that facility.”
Dwaddell@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/winstarwaddell
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