Fiat Chrysler workers vote to approve new contract

Workers at Fiat Chrysler have voted to accept a new contract with the automaker in what their union describes as "tough" negotiations.

Unifor says the four-year agreement secures both investment and wage improvements.

The Unifor union said 70.1 per cent voted to ratify the four-year deal, which covers 9,750 manufacturing workers. A rejection would have triggered a strike at Fiat Chrysler, shutting down assembly plants in Windsor and Brampton, Ont.

Unifor says the deal includes two wage increases of two per cent and signing bonuses that total $12,000 over the next four years.

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The union says management promised to invest $331 million in its Canadian operations.

Union president Jerry Dias indicated before talks with both Chrysler and General Motors that investment was the most important issue for the workers.

The deal with General Motors was worked out last month and served as a template for the agreement with Fiat Chrysler.

It will also be a basis for talks with the final Detroit Three automaker. Negotiations with Ford are set to start on Tuesday.

"In each round of our negotiations, the union has set clear objectives, and so far we have reached these, including our top priority to secure investment and defend good jobs in local communities," Dias said in a news release. "With Ford, our union will accept nothing less."