Uncertainty looms for nearly 19,000 Canadian auto workers as their union gets set to begin significant labour negotiations this week.Talks between Unifor and the Detroit three automakers are scheduled to begin Monday in Toronto, as the collective agreements are set to expire on Sept. 20.Unifor, which typically uses pattern bargaining for its auto sector negotiations, will target Ford Motor Co. first, just as it did three years ago. Talks with Stellantis and General Motors are expected to follow.Unifor national president Lana Payne says there were several strategic reasons for starting with Ford.“While the auto industry keeps shifting and changing around us, Ford is maintaining its footprint in Canada, including the Windsor engine plant, Essex engine plant, and the retooling of the Oakville Assembly Plant. This matters,” she said in a national message earlier this month. “It also matters that Unifor and Ford have a long history of bargaining that has delivered positive gains for auto workers.Payne added that the talks will be one of the most consequential rounds of auto negotiations the union has faced.“We are approaching these contract negotiations with determination, but also with realism. The stakes are incredibly high, and we need to take the most disciplined, strategic approach possible.”The talks come as the sector deals with the introduction of Chinese electric vehicles into Canada and the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming talks regarding the trade agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico.