On the Dash:
- Unifor will hold a Stellantis strike authorization vote Oct. 17 and 18, with results due Oct. 19.
- Talks have stalled for almost a month over the proposed sale of the Brampton Assembly Plant.
- Approval would let the bargaining committee call a strike but would not trigger one automatically.
Unifor has called a strike authorization vote for Stellantis workers in Canada, the union told members in a letter Tuesday. Members will vote Oct. 17 and 18, with results expected Oct. 19. A yes vote would let the bargaining committee call a strike, although one wouldn’t start automatically.
Unifor & Stellantis talks
Talks between the Toronto-based union and Stellantis have been at an impasse for almost a month. The standoff began when the automaker signed a memorandum of understanding with defense manufacturer Roshel. It covers a potential sale of the idled Brampton Assembly Plant.
The stalemate centers on the future of the 3 million-square-foot plant outside Toronto, Unifor National President Lana Payne wrote. The core economic pattern is conditional on an agreement to close and sell the facility, according to the letter.
“To be clear, the unresolved issues with the company extend well beyond the future of the Brampton Assembly Plant,” Payne wrote in the letter to members. Payne called a strike a last resort but said the ability to strike can help bring both sides to terms.
The plants sit at the center of the dispute
The Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario builds Chrysler minivans and the Dodge Charger, although the plant has experienced downtime in recent weeks. According to The Detroit News, the plant is expected to shut down again for three weeks starting later this month, amid shifting demand and the contract standoff.
Brampton last built the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger before production ended in late 2023. Workers expected the plant to be retooled for the next-generation Jeep Compass. That never happened after Stellantis changed its North American product strategy amid high U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods. Unifor says the company assured it that Stellantis planned to invest in new programs for the plant.
Stellantis says Brampton no longer has a sustainable business case for the Jeep Compass, as CBT News previously reported. The automaker has explored restarting production at the plant but has not found a viable option. It says a sale to Roshel could support future operations at the site. Roshel plans to bring more than 2,000 jobs to Brampton. It has said laid-off Stellantis workers would get priority consideration.
Unifor has already reached new three-year agreements with General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. Stellantis’ previous contract with the union expired Sept. 20. The talks come as Canada and the United States review the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) amid a trade war.
