Unifor vows to focus on Stellantis’ ‘commitment to Canada’ as contract talks begin

Unifor kicked off contract talks with Stellantis NV on Tuesday, vowing to fight to keep the company’s Brampton assembly plant from closing for good while securing production volumes at factories in Windsor and Toronto.

“Our focus in this round of bargaining will be on Stellantis’ commitment to Canada, and what that looks like,” said Unifor national president Lana Payne.

Stellantis employs more than 9,000 Unifor workers, most of which work at the Windsor assembly plant making Chrysler minivans and Dodge Chargers. The carmaker also runs a castings plant in the west end of Toronto.

Stellantis closed its Brampton plant in 2023 and laid off 2,200 Unifor workers. The plant was to be retooled to make the Jeep Compass, but the automaker moved planned production of the SUV to the U.S. shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced tariffs on Canadian-made cars last year.

The plant’s future is a priority in the talks, Unifor said. In August, the company said it planned to begin talks with a third party about a possible sale of the factory, according to the union.

“We expect there to be some difficult conversations in the days to come but our bargaining team is here to do the work and to get the right deal for all our members,” said James Stewart, a Unifor official, in a statement.

Stellantis Canada president Trevor Longley said in a statement the company has invested more than $8-billion in Canada since 2022, a reflection of the long-term future of Canadian manufacturing and the company’s confidence in Canada and its work force.

“As the automotive industry continues to navigate significant economic, trade and competitive pressures, our goal is to reach an agreement that recognizes the contributions of our employees while helping ensure our Canadian operations remain competitive,” Mr. Longley said.

Unifor is pushing to reach an agreement with Stellantis after members ratified deals with Ford and General Motors that provide 3-per-cent raises in each of the contracts’ three years.

The Stellantis talks begin days after trade negotiations between Canada and the U.S. fell apart. The U.S. has applied 50-per-cent tariffs on a range of Canadian imports and said it will impose the same levy on cars, steel and auto parts on Jan. 1. Canada announced retaliatory tariffs, reflecting the divisions between the trading partners.

The U.S. last year ignited the trade war with 25-per-cent tariffs on Canadian-made cars, minus U.S. content, and 50-per-cent levies on steel and aluminum. Canada responded with 25-per-cent tariffs on the U.S. content of U.S.-made cars, with exceptions for automakers that build a certain number of vehicles in Canada.

On Sunday, Unifor’s GM employees ratified a deal that covers 4,600 workers at plants in Oshawa, Woodstock, St. Catharines and Ingersoll. Workers at the Ingersoll factory, which closed last year, will receive extended jobless benefits.

In announcing the agreement, GM said it will spend an additional $144-million at its Oshawa plant to begin production of the GMC Sierra heavy-duty truck, which will be made alongside the plant’s current product, the Chevrolet Silverado HD. GM also announced a $215-million investment at its propulsion plant in St. Catharines that will make the factory the sole source for new transmissions.

The investments mean GM has recently announced about $1.4-billion in spending on the Ontario plants, “reinforcing the important role Canadian operations will continue to play in GM’s North American manufacturing network,” the automaker said in a statement.