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Unifor and Fiat-Chrysler begin second round of Canadian auto talks

Unifor national president Jerry Dias, left, shakes hands with bargaining committee member Chris Taylor, right, of Ford Motor Company, as bargaining committee member Dino Chiodo, of Fiat Chrysler, sits between them, after the conclusion of a news conference regarding the ongoing Canadian Auto Workers union talks, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016, in Toronto.
Unifor national president Jerry Dias, left, shakes hands with bargaining committee member Chris Taylor, right, of Ford Motor Company, as bargaining committee member Dino Chiodo, of Fiat Chrysler, sits between them, after the conclusion of a news conference regarding the ongoing Canadian Auto Workers union talks, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016, in Toronto. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

TORONTO – Fiat-Chrysler goes on the hot seat today as it sits down to negotiate a new contract with its Canadian unionized workforce.

The start of talks follows on the heels of workers at General Motors accepting a new contract.

READ MORE: New General Motors investments worth pension concessions for new hires: union president

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Unifor, which represents workers at the Detroit Three in Canada, calls the GM deal a major breakthrough, and says it will be used as a basis for negotiations with both Fiat-Chrysler and Ford.

Unifor president Jerry Dias hailed the contract as “historic” and the best deal the union has struck with one of the auto giants in the past decade.

READ MORE: 5 things to know about contract negotiations between Unifor and GM

The agreement includes a two per cent wage increase this year and another two per cent increase in September, 2019.

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There is also a $6,000 initial signing bonus plus lump sum bonuses of $2,000 in each of the next three years for most employees. And GM promised to invest $554-million in its Canadian operations.

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