Unifor is demanding the federal government intervene to stop Stellantis NV from selling its Brampton plant and seeking clarity about what role, if any, Ottawa has played in a potential agreement between the automaker and Canadian armoured vehicle manufacturer Roshel Inc.
Labour negotiations with Stellantis were put on hold last Friday after the union said it was informed the automaker had signed a memorandum of understanding for the sale of the idle plant.
“Stellantis is 100 per cent serious about exiting Brampton. Currently, that is their only plan,” Unifor national president Lana Payne said at a news conference Thursday, adding the union is not accepting the decision.
“Selling that plant in the middle of a trade war, and in the middle of collective bargaining, is indefensible. This would make Brampton the first auto plant to fall in this trade war. And when plants close, they rarely, if ever, come back.”
Payne said Stellantis, which owns brands including Dodge, Jeep and Peugeot, had assured the union as recently as Aug. 12 that it was committed to the plant.
The Brampton plant has been idled since 2023 after it began undergoing a retooling to produce the Jeep Compass. Stellantis has since announced plans to move production of the vehicle to the U.S., leaving the future of about 2,200 Brampton workers in limbo.
Payne said Unifor has not been part of any discussions between Stellantis and Roshel, which is headquartered near the Stellantis plant in Brampton, and demanded more clarity from the federal government about its involvement in the potential deal.
“This is one of the reasons we need to understand what role, if any, the federal government has played here. We need to know what they know,” she said. “I’m not that happy with the role Roshel has played here, whether intended or not. It has interfered with and brought additional complications to our bargaining with Stellantis.”
Roshel has said it is seeking a Canadian military contract worth as much as $4.9 billion to build light-utility vehicles. The company has told Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government it could quickly reactivate the facility if it lands the contract.
Roshel chief executive Roman Shimonov has said his company is the only serious potential buyer for the facility and described the MOU as the first step in a “very complicated” process.
“It’s a document that clearly specifies the plan, the responsibilities, the framework and everything else,” he said. “We have a clear plan, and this MOU is outlining the whole process.”
Payne, however, said selling the plant and converting it into a military manufacturing facility, even if it could mean rehiring laid-off workers, is not an acceptable option for Unifor.
She said such a move would significantly reduce Canada’s automotive footprint, adding that if Stellantis is willing to break its commitments in Brampton, it could also do so at its Windsor Assembly Plant, where the company produces the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, and its Etobicoke Casting Plant.
“If Rochelle wants to expand its operations in Brampton, we support that, but not at the Brampton assembly plant,” she said, adding the prospect of a defence contract can’t compare with the production of hundreds of thousands of commercial vehicles.
Unifor also said its current collective agreement with Stellantis ends Sept. 20, but that is not a strike deadline.
“However, bargaining remains extremely challenging right now and, as I’ve stated, we are at an impasse,” Payne said. “Therefore, strike action remains a real possibility.”
