CAW says finish line is near in contract talks with Ford

Union to 'put all of the final pieces together' Monday

(Reuters) — A senior official at the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) said the union hopes to reach a labour contract agreement with Ford before Monday's end-of-day strike deadline, but added there is still work to do to get a deal.

The union, which represents about 20,000 workers at the Detroit Three automakers, chose Ford on Sunday as the lead company in contract talks, saying it has been most receptive to a CAW proposal to cut labour costs.

Talks continue with both Fiat SpA's Chrysler Group LLC and General Motors.

"We can see the finish line at Ford so I'm hopeful we can wrap up a deal with Ford today and announce a tentative agreement. But we still could stumble before we get there," CAW national secretary-treasurer Peter Kennedy told Reuters.

The union will meet with Ford later Monday morning and hopes to "put all of the final pieces together," he said.

Talks with GM have had a more positive tone than those with Chrysler, he added, but major hurdles remain.

"We're still running the race — we can't see the finish line at either General Motors or Chrysler, but I guess we're a little further around the track with GM than we are at Chrysler."

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