Unifor to hold strike vote for 9,000 Stellantis workers in Canada
The union says talks are stalled over the future of an idled Ontario plant and broader job security concerns.
TORONTO — The union representing 9,000 Stellantis workers in Canada will hold strike authorization votes later this month as contract talks remain at an impasse over the future of an idled Ontario plant.
Unifor announced on Tuesday that the votes will take place on Oct. 17 and 18, with results to be announced on Oct. 19.
"With negotiations still at an impasse over several key issues, including the future of the Brampton Assembly Plant and the core economic pattern being conditional on an agreement to close and sell the plant, the union will now proceed to hold strike votes," Unifor National President Lana Payne said in a statement.
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A strike authorization gives the bargaining committee the authority to call a strike if necessary, but does not automatically mean a walkout will happen.
Payne said other unresolved issues include job security and the future of Stellantis operations across the country.
"Strike action remains a last resort, but the ability to strike is an important part of collective bargaining and can help create the conditions for an agreement," Payne said.
The union walked away from collective bargaining on Sept. 11 after Stellantis confirmed it had a preliminary agreement to sell the Brampton plant to Roshel, a defence contractor that makes armoured vehicles.
The plant northwest of Toronto closed for retooling in 2023, resulting in more than 2,000 workers being laid off. The plant employed more than 3,000 people when it closed.
Stellantis later paused the retooling process in early 2025 and moved planned production of the Jeep Compass to Belvidere, Ill., citing U.S. tariffs of 25 per cent on Canadian-made cars.
Stellantis Canada president and CEO Trevor Longley said in a letter to employees last month that "market and trade conditions have directly impacted the original business case" for the Brampton plant, and selling it could support future operations at the site.
The company has said a memorandum of understanding with Roshel represents a strong path to restoring sustainable operations at the site and preserving its strategic role in Canada’s advanced manufacturing sector.
Unifor has rejected the proposed closure and sale, saying there must be a suitable resolution for Local 1285 members at the Brampton plant.
The union also remains concerned about the future of Stellantis operations at the Windsor Assembly Plant and Etobicoke Casting Plant. In September, the union said Stellantis had not confirmed its forecast plans for those facilities.
Another major sticking point is the economic pattern agreement negotiated by Unifor with Ford and General Motors. The union says Stellantis has offered only conditional agreement to that economic pattern, tying it to the closing of the Brampton facility.
"To be clear, the unresolved issues with the company extend well beyond the future of the Brampton Assembly Plant," the union said in its statement. "They relate to the broader job security of all union members and the future of Stellantis operations across Canada."
Unifor has already reached new collective agreements with Ford and GM. The union had hoped to reach a tentative agreement with Stellantis without a strike vote, as it did with those other automakers.
The latest collective bargaining agreement with Stellantis expired last month.
The federal government has said any sale would put Stellantis in violation of a funding agreement that saw the company receive millions of taxpayer dollars to retool the plant.
With files from BNN Bloomberg, The Globe and Mail and Unifor National