Members at Dakkota Integrated Systems have ratified a new deal, voting 97 per cent in favour.
Unifor Local 444 posted to social media late Friday evening stating a tentative agreement had been made between the union and the company, with the vote scheduled for Sunday morning.
Dakkota was the last of the Feeder Four plants in Windsor who were fighting for a new contract, after Avancez, HBPO Canada Inc., and members at ZF-VRW voted in favour of new contracts over the last two weeks.
Negotiations with Dakkota were different from the other three plants, as they were bargaining for a collective agreement and a closure agreement after the company lost its supply contract for the Windsor Assembly Plant to CPK Interior Products.
As part of the closing agreement, workers will be preferred hires to Windsor Assembly Plant, and the union will be negotiating an opportunity for those who don't want to go to Windsor Assembly to move to CPK.
Dave Cassidy, President of Unifor Local 444, says he's feeling great about the deals reached.
"We had the 100 per cent support of going in for the collective agreement, it really puts the support behind the bargaining committee, and that they rely on the union, and they support the union, which is very important as we go into bargaining. And with Dakkota, it's a different situation because we made a terrible situation, turn out pretty good for the members there."
He says members will be preferred hires at Windsor Assembly.
"We're going to be negotiating the fact of also giving them the opportunity, the ones who don't want to go to Windsor Assembly Plant, to follow their work over to CPK because that's their work, no fault to their own but they lost that, but they're going to be able to have an opportunity at CPK."
Cassidy says he feels good seeing the high percentage of ratification.
"We put some stability there, we have severance pay for them going out the door, we have some extended benefits for them to bridge some time. So, very happy. This Dakkota one was a tougher one for people because they've been there, some people have been there 18 years, since they started."
Bargaining goals for Dakkota members included monetary increases that followed the pattern set by the other three plants, and job opportunities, which Local 444 says they achieved.
Dakkota bargained a one year contract, while the other three plants each agreed to a new three year contract.