On the evening of September 19, local time, Ford, one of Detroit's "Big Three," said the company reached a tentative agreement with Canadian unions at the last minute to avoid a second strike in less than a week.。

Unifor and Ford reach tentative agreement

Unifor, which represents about 5,600 Canadian auto workers, had previously publicly said it would stage strike action at all three Ford plants in Canada if the two sides failed to reach an agreement by 11: 59pm on September 19.。

Unifor seeks higher wages and pensions, as well as Ford's support for workers in the transition to electric vehicles, and wants Ford to make additional investment commitments.。

Unifor said in a statement about the interim deal: "We have used the union's most powerful weapon: the right to strike.。"The results were achieved after weeks of arduous negotiations."。"

Ford Canada said in a statement that the three-year agreement is still subject to approval by Unifor members, and the company has not disclosed details of the tentative agreement.。

Unifor will now move to a deal with GM and Stellantis。The deadline for the two companies has been extended while Unifor is in talks with Ford.。

This tentative agreement with Unifor could be a relief to Ford, which would at least allow it to avoid "two-front warfare" and focus on union negotiations at home.。But for GM and Stellantis, Ford's compromise on the interim agreement will invariably put pressure on the two automakers。

UAW: More factories will strike if talks don't make significant progress

Within the United States, the current strike by the United Auto Workers (UAW) has entered its sixth day, with shutdowns at plants in Michigan, Ohio and Missouri that make Ford Mustang, Jeep Wrangler and Chevrolet Colorado, among other popular models.。

According to statistics, the number of people involved in the strike in the above three states has reached 1.30,000 people。The UAW said it would announce strikes at more U.S. plants on Friday if talks with automakers did not make significant progress.。

Analysts expect plants that make pickups to be the next strike target if the strike continues, such as Ford's F-150, General Motors' Chevrolet Sorode and Stellantis' Ram.。These cars are more profitable to produce and will have a greater impact on automakers。

Ford said late Tuesday it was working on contingency plans for further strikes at U.S. factories, including plans to ship parts needed for production and to keep first responders and other essential services running.。Ford also said it would continue to negotiate with the UAW to work toward an agreement that would improve employee benefits while enabling the company to invest and grow.。

Currently, in negotiations between the UAW and car companies, the two sides are at odds over workers' wages and benefits。

The Big Three automakers have proposed a 20% pay rise within their new four-year contracts, but that's only half of what the UAW is asking for.。The union had previously asked for a total pay increase of 46 per cent, including an immediate 20 per cent, within the new four-year contract.。Other conditions include a defined benefit pension for all workers, a 32-hour work week and additional living expenses.。

In addition, the wage grading structure is the biggest concern for many UAW workers.。They argue that this structure has created a huge wage gap between new and old employees, forcing some low-level employees to work two jobs to make ends meet.。