Union leaders are saying the tentative GM/Unifor agreement is 'a really good deal' for St. Catharines in the grand scheme.
GM Unit Chairperson for Local 199 and part of the bargaining committee Tim McKinnon says there will be some short term layoffs due to supply protection, but no permanent layoffs.
"Truthfully, we were going to lose half our plant and now we're not. And I think we've, through this set of negotiations, truly positioned ourselves in a really good place where I think sometime between now and the end of this contract that the company will be coming to us to tell us they have a product for us."
The St. Catharines plant will also be making transmissions for Corvettes.
During the Unifor announcement, National President Jerry Dias announced a $1.3 billion re-investment in the Oshawa plant to make heavy and light duty trucks, including Silverados and Sierras.
McKinnon says, "We don't make the engine for the heavy duty, but we will be the sole producer for all the light duty trucks they make. We're the sole supplier for all their engines. And the more volume they make, the more they're going to need from us."
GM has also penned a letter of commitment for St. Catharines.
A ratification vote is set for Sunday.