Unifor national president Lana Payne said Thursday evening in an update to members that the union has met resistance in its negotiations so far.
Meanwhile, some 13,000 U.S. autoworkers started striking Friday, targeting a plant at each of the Detroit Three automakers. The strike, while limited for now, could soon have an impact on deeply integrated Canadian parts suppliers, said Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association president Flavio Volpe.
He said parts suppliers could keep producing with plants down, but they can only really carry one or two days' inventory. Sam Fiorani, vice president of Global Vehicle Forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions LLC, said they haven't seen impacts yet on Canadian suppliers, but it will happen if the strike persists.