Hourly assembly line employees part of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union have authorization to walk off the lines if needed. This could put a production halt at Chrysler, Ford, and GM's Canadian plants.
The contracts for these workers expire on September 17, and the negotiations are currently underway. Talks in downtown Toronto between the CAW and the automakers are scheduled for this week,
The Detroit News wrote.
At Chrysler, 99 percent of CAW members voted in favor of striking if talks don't go in their favor, while 98 percent of the workforce at GM are in agreement. Ford has the least amount of strike-ready CAW workers, at 97 percent. These numbers came as a result of votes held last week.
The high numbers are a sign of the strong support and belief in the CAW's bargaining committees, said union president Ken Lewenza. The last time CAW workers went on strike was at GM plants in 1996.
