Ford and Canadian Workers in Tentative Deal OTTAWA - Just hours before a strike deadline, the Canadian Auto Workers union and the Ford Motor Company of Canada reached a tentative four-year contract agreement on Monday. While the union made concessions on wages paid to some workers and pension costs, Ford agreed to gradually rehire about 600 workers who are currently laid off. Calling it a "good deal in these economic times," Ken Lewenza, the union's president, said at a late-afternoon news conference, "It's far from a carry-over agreement." The agreement with Ford increases the pressure on Chrysler Canada and General Motors of Canada. Mr. Lewenza said they must agree to the same broad contract terms as Ford or face a strike at midnight, a step he hopes to avoid. "Our job is to manufacture cars and build components," Mr. Lewenza said. Our job isn't to go on strike. Stacey Allerton, vice president for human resources at Ford of Canada, said the tentative agreement provided "unique-to-Canada solutions that will improve the competitiveness of the Canadian operations while providing employees the opportunity to earn a good living." The tentative agreement at Ford preserves the Canadian system under which new employees start at a lower wage but gradually move up to full rates. Chrysler, in particular, has repeatedly said that it wants its plants in Canada to follow the American system in which new hires are permanently paid at lower wage rates. Mr. Lewenza said Chrysler and the union remained far apart on Monday afternoon. "The gap is so wide that, quite frankly, it's hard to imagine," he said. Chrysler Canada declined to comment. In a statement, G.M. Canada said that it was "focused on working with the C.A.W. to reach a competitive agreement that will improve G.M. Canada's competitive position for the future." The loss of production at the three companies" plants, with the exception of a factory G.M. owns that operates under a separate contract, could have a significant impact on the country's economy.