The President of Unifor, Canada's top automotive union, has been closely watching the progress of the GM strike stateside.
Jerry Dias is glad there's a tentative settlement between the automaker and the United Auto Workers Union (UAW).
The new four year deal includes 3% pay raises and 4% lump-sum payments, $9-billion in investments in U.S. plants, and signing bonuses exceeding the $8,000 workers got four years ago.
He tells AM800's the Afternoon News the restart of production will be different plant to plant and Oshawa in particular may take a while to get back on the job.
"I don't see them really building vehicles probably until the middle of next week" says Dias. "Our members in St. Catherines will go back very quickly, why, because a lot of the engines that they build, 85 per cent, go right to the United States."
Dias isn't concerned GM has committed to new product in U.S. plants.
"My understanding is they were concentrating on the four plants that General Motors has announced closure" explains Dias. "I know the industry and I know it quite well. So any commitments would have been for future product because there's not really anything that's hanging out there right now."
Dias doubts the strike will make much dent in the automaker's profits.
"GM lost about $2-billion, if the reports are correct," he says. "But this is also a company that made $31-billion in the last three years, so if they lost a couple of billion, I'm sure it's not going to harm their bottom line that much."
The UAW executive council is reviewing the proposed tentative settlement to decide if it will go to the members for ratification.