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<\/p>\nThe auto sector in Ontario \u2013 still reeling from layoffs in Oshawa, Windsor and Brampton because of pressures from U.S. tariffs \u2013 got some good news this week with the announcement that Stellantis is launching a new third shift at the Windsor Assembly Plant, set to begin Tuesday.<\/p>\n
More than 1,700 newly trained employees \u2013 most represented by Unifor Local 444 \u2013 will support full\u2011scale production, marking a major expansion of Stellantis\u2019 Canadian manufacturing footprint.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaunching the new third shift at the Windsor Assembly Plant is a proud and significant milestone for Stellantis and for our Canadian operations,\u201d said Stellantis Canada CEO Trevor Longley. \u201cThis investment reinforces our commitment to Canadian manufacturing and to the incredible team at Windsor Assembly. We couldn\u2019t be more excited to get started.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new shift will accommodate production of the Chrysler minivan lineup and the all\u2011new 2026 Dodge Charger lineup.<\/p>\n
With three shifts, total plant employment in Windsor is nearly 6,000, including nearly 250 employees from Brampton\u00a0who chose\u00a0to transfer to Windsor Assembly to take on new roles.<\/p>\n
Idled Stellantis workers at the Brampton plant also got some good news from the company when Longley, speaking to reporters at the\u00a0Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto Thursday, reiterated that the shutdown of the Williams Parkway plant was \u201ca pause\u201d and that the company still intends to build cars in Brampton.<\/p>\n
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He said the company is currently negotiating with the Canadian government and Unifor, the union that represents the workers, to find its way back to the idle Brampton facility.<\/p>\n
Stellantis originally planned to build the Compass in Brampton and the plant had been undergoing retooling before it was decided in October to shift operations to Illinois following tariffs placed on Canadian-built vehicles by the U.S., coupled with pressure from President Donald Trump to have car manufacturing centred stateside.<\/p>\n
The move cost 3,000 workers in Brampton their jobs and rattled the Canadian economy as politicians at all levels of government wrestled with the future of car manufacturing in this country and the impact that the job loss would have on communities.<\/p>\n
Since then the federal government has threatened legal action against Stellantis and has asked for the return of millions of dollars worth of subsidies that were granted to keep the Brampton plant operational.<\/p>\n
If work does return to Brampton, Longley has not indicated how many jobs will need to be filled but union leaders say they are optimistic that staffing could come close to previous levels at the plant.<\/p>\n
With files from Steve Pecar<\/p>\n