Unionized workers at Magna's Integram auto parts plant in Tecumseh, Ont. have rejected a potential collective agreement and are now on strike.

Workers there voted 57.9 per cent against a tentative agreement between their union, Unifor Local 444, and Integram. Workers say they no longer wanted to pay for their benefits, and wanted better wages.

The strike could affect both Chrysler's Windsor assembly plant and General Motors production.

Jamie Pollard has worked at Integram for 21 years. He currently works as a team leader and hopes the strike is short lived.

"Nobody really wants to be out on strike," Pollard said. "We would just like what we think is due."

Sam Habib started in January 2016 and voted against the collective agreement. He said many of his co-workers, most of those new employees, were against the deal.

"There's a lot more that can be done," Habib said.

(Stacey Janzer/CBC)

Integram employs about 1,000 workers. Dino Chiodo, president of Unifor Local 444, said Ingram was able to bid on more work and hire 300 more employees, but those jobs may be in jeopardy.

Chiodo said workers wanted to walk out before negotiations had halted, which was unusual in his experience.

"I was very encouraged by the agreement that we had put together, but people wanted to walk out at 11:59 p.m., because we were still working with the company and that's just not something I'm used to," he said.

Chiodo added that expectations are different with Integram workers and that may be due to them having a younger work force and says that "there's a lot of education that has to happen."

"I think it's always a challenge at the end of day," he said."

"If we are on strike long, we're not only affecting General Motors but we're affecting the Windsor Assembly Plant," said Chiodo.

"And you're taking about affecting another 6,000 workers here in Windsor and another 3,000 or 3,500 workers at the Cami facility and that just has detrimental effects for everyone."