The workers' voice in three major auto manufacturing companies overwhelmingly voted to allow their union to call for a strike if bargaining committees fail to secure sufficient new collective agreements in the coming months.

Unifor, the largest private sector union in Canada, stated that its members at Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Stellantis voted between 98 and 99 percent in favor of a strike.

In Windsor, Ontario, at local union unit 444, 98.1 percent voted in favor of a strike at the Stellantis assembly plant if such action becomes necessary during negotiations with the three major companies in the sector.

Dave Cassidy, president of Local 444, said, "If we have to suspend work, it will be because the company is not listening to what we need to do for our members."

The vote took place over the weekend amid a lull in negotiations. Current labor agreements between the companies and the unions, which encompass about 18,000 workers at the three auto manufacturing companies in Detroit, will expire before midnight on September 18.

The results reflect the strike mandate approved on Friday by members of the United Auto Workers (UAW), based in the United States, who are negotiating with the three auto manufacturing companies simultaneously.

UAW President Shawn Fain said negotiations will continue until the contracts expire.

National Unifor President Lana Payne also issued a statement saying that the union's negotiating teams are ready to resume talks with support from members across the auto industry and are prepared to take any necessary steps to achieve their goals.

She added that her negotiating committees are focused on improving pensions, raising wages, and securing good union jobs in a future dominated by electric vehicles.