Retirees don't want to be forgotten as negotiations with Detroit's Big Three opens

Over 18,000 autoworkers are affected by the current round of bargaining.

“We have very clear demands that were presented to the company today,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

Those demands were presented during the official handshakes Thursday with the Detroit Big Three.

“They're serious about it,” said Dave Cassidy, president of Unifor Local 444. “They have the UAW going at the same time but they know they also have us that they're going to be bargaining with as well.”

Officials at Stellantis, Ford and GM will now have a week to look over contract demands.

“We'll be back up the week of the 20th-21st and start sitting down and bargaining until we get to Labour Day,” said Payne.

That's when Payne will decide who will be the lead company during negotiations. Cassidy has made it known he wants Stellantis to set the pattern.

“We have the largest footprint in Canada for OEM’s [original equipment manufacturers],” he said.

Stellantis also has the largest membership for original equipment manufacturers.

“We have to get a good collective agreement that our members will accept, support and be proud of,” Payne said.

Wages and benefits are priorities, but the top issue is pensions.

“We have a lot of work to do around pensions,” Cassidy told CTV News Windsor.

Greg Layson, digital and mobile editor for Automotive News Canada, said the union has to win concessions for two segments of their membership — current workers who have a pension and current pensioners.

“Current employees are gonna want a good pension when they retire too but the fact of the matter is pensioners right now have been stuck on a fixed income as the cost of living continues to go up and up and up,” he explained.

Stellantis retirees gathered in front of the Chrysler building on Riverside Drive Thursday morning to support the opening day of bargaining and to make sure they aren't forgotten.

“They have had different increases for the workers but unfortunately the pensioners are always, ‘Okay maybe the next time, maybe next time.’ This has to be the time,” said retiree Cathy Campbell.

Retired union leader Gary Parent feels retirees deserve not to be overlooked during this round of negotiations.

“There's a deservingness but also a payback that has to be recognized for the retirees for their sacrifices during the restructuring days,” he said.

Living on a fixed income, some retirees are having to visit food banks in order to survive, according to Peter Pellerito, chairperson of the Retirees Chapter of Unifor Local 444.

“I'm on the board at the Unemployed Help Centre so I know retirees are going there. This is important to us,” he said. “We haven't had a raise in 13 years.”