Bombardier workers are on strike after the union and company failed to reach an agreement by the deadline on Saturday. Unifor and Bombardier were working toward an agreement and both parties are committed to continuing the bargaining process, but it was announced Sunday that 1,350 Unifor Local 112 and 673 members at Bombardier were on strike.

“The union’s bargaining committee members are working towards an agreement and both parties remain committed to continuing the bargaining process,” Unifor said on Sunday. “Negotiations between Unifor and Bombardier continued throughout last night and into late this morning. Both parties agreed to resume negotiations early tomorrow morning.”

The workers were seen in photos standing in front of the Bombardier manufacturing facility at the Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga after the strike deadline on Saturday night. The new manufacturing center opened in May. The $670 million center manufactures the Global jet series. Bombardier began transitioning workers and equipment from the Downsview plant last summer. The former plant was built in the 1960s and the new site was built to operate efficiently and sustainably. The new hub provided continued employment for the 2,000 employees who were working at the Downsview facility before the Mississauga hub opened. In January, Bombardier shared that roughly 1,200 of the 2,000 staff at Downsview had moved to the new site.

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In 2021, about 2,200 combined workers for both Bombardier’s Global jets and De Havilland Aircraft Dash 8-400 turboprops went on strike in Toronto. Unifor said on July 30, 2021 that it had reached a tentative agreement with Bombardier, but asked the members to continue scheduled picket times to support the DeHavilland workers until they reached an agreement. According to Reuters, much of the grievance was due to the increased production following the pandemic as more people looked to fly private. AP News reported that the workers were on strike for several days before ratifying a three-year contract. The contract included wage increases and better pension benefits.

The manufacturing hub assembles the Global 6500 and 7500 jets and has the capacity to build up to 100 aircraft per year. While the workers are on strike, production is on hold. Mark Masluch, a spokesperson from Bombardier, told CBC News that the collective goal is to quickly reach a mutually beneficial agreement.