TORONTO — Unifor and General Motors of Canada have reached a tentative contract settlement, averting a walkout that was scheduled to begin on Monday night at 11:59 p.m. ET. The four-year pact, which covers about 4,000 autoworkers in Ontario, includes wage increases, signing bonuses and lump sum payments. But Unifor president Jerry Dias said the union's main goal was to "solidify a product for Oshawa and to cement the footprint in our St. Catharines operations.'' "We ended up reaching a tentative agreement because of the clear understanding of the two parties that that was the price of coffee.''

The tentative contract settlement includes wage increases, signing bonuses and lump sum payments. (Photo: Getty Images) There had been fears the Oshawa facility might shut down in 2019, but Dias said the contract ensures a commitment by the company worth hundreds of millions of dollars. "Our fear of a closure in 2019 is now over,'' he said. "The facilities clearly have a bright future.'' Dias didn't divulge what will be built in Oshawa beyond that year, but said it will be the "first and only plant in North America that will have the ability to build both cars and trucks'' and added there will be additional jobs in both the short and long-term. Dias also said the agreement with GM will see some unspecified production coming from Mexico to the St. Catharines plant, reversing a trend that has been a "straight migration of auto jobs from Canada to Mexico.''