Canadian auto workers to vote on Ford deal starting on Saturday

(Reuters) – Auto workers at Ford Motor (NYSE:)’s Canadian facilities will start voting on a tentative three-year deal on Saturday, a spokesperson for the Unifor union said on Wednesday.

Ford reached a last-minute deal to avoid a walkout at its Canadian operations late on Tuesday, as the United Auto Workers union prepared for a potential expansion of its U.S. strikes against the Detroit Three automakers.

Unifor, which represents about 5,700 Ford employees in Canada, had sought improved wages and pensions, as well as support in the transition to electric vehicles and additional investment commitments by Ford.

Unifor’s talks with the Detroit Three automakers in Canada are separate from the UAW’s coordinated U.S. action that led to about 12,700 workers going on strike last week against one assembly plant at each of the Detroit Three automakers.