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A Windsor judge has postponed a contempt of court hearing against Unifor leaders locked in a showdown against Nemak, in the hopes the two sides can resolve their differences by Friday.

“Sit down, talk, get a mediator, get an arbitrator, do what you have to do,” Superior Court Justice Terry Patterson told lawyers for both sides on Tuesday.

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“Then come back before me and I’ll resolve it then if it hasn’t been resolved.”

Unifor took over Nemak’s west Windsor auto parts plant in what the company calls an “illegal strike” on Labour Day. Union leaders made the move after the company announced it would close the Windsor plant — Nemak’s last Canadian operation — in 2020.

According to Unifor, Nemak’s collective agreement with Local 200 committed the company to maintain its Windsor presence until 2022 in exchange for the union accepting a wage freeze.

The union has continued picketing and blocking access to the facility since Sept. 2.