On the Dash:
- Unifor members voted 97.3% to authorize potential strike action at Stellantis’ Canadian plants, where about 9,000 unionized employees are covered by an expired collective agreement. The union is not yet in a legal strike position.
- Stellantis has paused negotiations with Unifor amid a dispute over the proposed sale of its idled Brampton, Ontario, plant to armored-vehicle maker Roshel, while Windsor production has been canceled for three weeks through the week of Nov. 2.
- Supplier Dakkota Integrated Systems plans to close its Detroit plant in phases, eliminating 397 jobs after losing contracts to supply instrument panels for the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango.
On October 17 and 18, Unifor members at Stellantis in Canada voted 97.3% in favor of authorizing a strike. Separately, Stellantis supplier Dakkota Integrated Systems plans to close its Detroit plant and lay off 397 employees, according to Automotive News.
Unifor members back strike at Stellantis Canada
Unifor members at Stellantis Canada overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike after contract talks reached an impasse in September. However, the union isn’t in a legal strike position yet. According to Unifor, neither side has requested a “No Board” report, a required step under labor law before job action can begin. Notably, Unifor represents more than 9,000 Stellantis workers in Canada, the Canadian Press reported. The union said a yes vote lets the bargaining committee call a strike but doesn’t automatically trigger one.
According to The Canadian Press, a key issue the automaker is facing is the future of the idled Brampton Assembly Plant, which Stellantis wants to sell. Stellantis said Sept. 11 it signed a memorandum of understanding with Roshel, a Canadian armored vehicle maker, on a potential sale. Unifor says the core economic pattern is conditional on closing and selling the plant.
Meanwhile, Unifor has already reached new agreements with Ford and General Motors.
Dakkota to close Detroit plant
Separately, Dakkota Integrated Systems, an automotive supplier that makes parts for Stellantis, Ford and General Motors plants, will close its Detroit plant in two stages and lay off 397 employees, Automotive News reported. The plant makes instrument panels for the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango built at the nearby Detroit Assembly Complex.
One of the plant’s two lines shuts down Dec. 31, cutting 205 jobs, and the other March 31, cutting 192, according to a notice filed Oct. 19 with the state of Michigan. UAW Local 155 represents the affected employees.
