Strike deadline nears at Canada Chrysler supplier

TORONTO (Reuters) - Workers at a Johnson Controls plant in Canada that makes parts for Chrysler minivans are poised to go on strike at the end of Friday if contract negotiations fail, but the union said it was hopeful a deal with the company would be reached.

The main issue in the talks at the Tecumseh, Ontario, plant is job security, Dino Chiodo of the Canadian Auto Workers union Local 444 said on Wednesday.

"Our goal is to come to a good agreement and a pragmatic agreement that works for both the membership and the company," he said. "We are still talking, trying to come to a resolve and we're cautiously optimistic that we'll be able to reach our goals."

The plant, which is near the Detroit-Windsor border crossing, builds overhead interior components for the Dodge Grand Caravan and the Chrysler Voyager. Both are made at Chrysler's Windsor assembly plant, which works on three shifts producing 1,226 vehicles a day.

"We are aware of the issue at Johnson Controls," said Max Gates, a spokesman for Chrysler. "At this point, we are monitoring the situation and looking at our own plans and contingency plans, and assessing what the impacts might be of all this."

A spokesperson for Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Johnson Controls, which also makes auto seating and electronic components, batteries, and building heating and ventilation systems, said the company does not comment on labor negotiations.

The Tecumseh plant has about 90 active employees and about 30 on layoff.

The current labor contract expires on Friday and workers voted 97 percent in favor of a strike mandate if no deal with the company is reached.

(Reporting by John McCrank; editing by Rob Wilson)