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Stellantis is under increasing pressure from its Canadian workforce after Unifor members voted overwhelmingly to authorize potential strike action. The union shared on Monday, October 19, that 97.3% of those who voted backed giving their bargaining committee the go-ahead to call a strike if talks with the automaker fail to lead to a new contract.
The vote, which took place on October 17 and 18, marks a significant escalation in a labor dispute that has increasingly centered around the future of Stellantis’ Brampton Assembly Plant in Ontario.
However, this result doesn’t mean workers are leaving their jobs just yet. No strike has been announced, and Unifor stated that neither party has requested a No Board report, which is necessary in Ontario’s labor dispute process before any legal strike or lockout can occur.
At present, both parties remain without a new agreement, and the future of Brampton Assembly continues to pose one of the biggest challenges ahead.
A Strong Message from Stellantis Workers
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In this article▾ A Strong Message from Stellantis Workers Brampton Assembly Remains At The Center Of The Dispute A Possible Strike Could Have Wider Implications The Proposed Sale To Roshel Remains Unresolved What Comes Next?
The 97.3% vote sends a strong signal to Stellantis that union members are ready for stronger action if negotiations stall further.
Unifor National President Lana Payne highlighted the importance of protecting Canadian automotive jobs and securing a new collective agreement that addresses worker concerns across Stellantis’ operations in Canada.
While strike authorization provides union leadership with additional leverage in negotiations, it does not automatically trigger any work stoppage. The union still needs to fulfill the legal requirements before initiating a strike.
This vote follows weeks of stalled discussions between Stellantis and Unifor, where plans for Brampton Assembly have become a key sticking point.
An earlier report by Mopar Insiders indicated that Unifor decided on October 6 to pursue strike authorization votes after talks failed to show meaningful progress on several unresolved issues.
With members now strongly backing authorization, the pressure on Stellantis to reach an agreement has significantly intensified.
Brampton Assembly Remains At The Center Of The Dispute
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The future of Brampton Assembly has been uncertain since production of the Dodge Charger, Challenger, and Chrysler 300 was halted in December 2023. p >
Over 2,200 members from Unifor Local 1285 have been laid off since then while preparations were made for major retooling intended for new Jeep production at the plant. p >
Those plans changed when Stellantis paused retooling efforts and moved next-generation Jeep Compass production away from Brampton altogether.
The automaker has since entered into talks with Roshel-a Canadian defense manufacturer based in Brampton-regarding potentially selling the facility.
Stellantis asserts it explored other options for resuming automotive production at Brampton but couldn’t find a sustainable long-term business case.
Unifor strongly disagrees.
The union argues that Stellantis should honor its previous commitments related to Canadian manufacturing instead of selling the plant off to an entity outside traditional automotive assembly.
This disagreement is especially significant during negotiations as Unifor claims that acceptance of broader economic settlements hinges on reaching an agreement about closing and selling Brampton Assembly.
This stance effectively links the fate of the idle plant with negotiations impacting Stellantis employees across various other facilities in Canada.
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Wider Impact From Potential Strike h2>
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Brampton remains one of the most visible issues at play here; however, any eventual strike could impact more than just this idle assembly plant.
The Unifor union represents employees at various other operations within Canada for Stellantis including Windsor Assembly , Etobicoke Casting , along with parts distribution centers.
A prolonged work stoppage involving Windsor employees may disrupt production while Dodge attempts to introduce gasoline-powered Chargers into circulation.
This concern holds weight for Stellantis , particularly as they continue managing transitions regarding their product portfolio alongside manufacturing capabilities. P ><img loading= "lazy " decoding= "async "data-attachment-id= "589 ""data-permalink =" %% URL_4 %%""data-orig-file =" %% URL_5 %%"data-orig-size ="704 ,396 ""data-comments-opened ="0 ""data-image-title ="Brampton ""data-image-description =""data-image-caption="“src= “https://ontariochronicle. ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Brampton-e1728410331360. jpg%”alt=”Unifor Presses Stellanis Over Delays at Brampot Assembly Plant”width=”1800”height=”1013”/>Brampten Assemby Plent In Bramton Ontarios ( Stelltis )
[Proposed Sale To Roshell Still Pending] NO CHANGE [CHANGING TEXT NOT ALLOWED]!!
] ↑ BACK TO TOP [/ Ht ]< P ] STELLANTIS HAS NOT ANNOUNCED ANY COMPLETED SALES FOR BRAMPTON ASSEMBLY DESPITE RECENT ESCALATIONS IN NEGOTIATIONS.
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Next Steps?
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The huge support for strike authorization gives Unofur leaders extra power as discussions move forward but there are still steps left before workers could legally stop working.
The Union’s announcement dated October19 states neither side requested ‘No Board Report’. Until all necessary labour relations processes are followed through no legal strikes will happen. There’s also room left open for finding common ground. Local444 Pres James Stewart previously noted he believes making peacewith Stelliteis is still possible pointing out lines opened even though formal talks were delayed. The latest vote doesn’t necessarily change this view but does show how fed up workers feel waiting so long fo resolution. Key upcoming events will be whether both sides get back into constructive discussions whether either side takes legal steps towards possibly stopping work or makes headway regarding Branton’s future. For over2200 workers who’ve awaited answers about their employment situations since December2023 uncertainty continues lingering far too long. Currently Stellanits maintains its preferred option involves selling Branton while Unsfor insists automotive work must stay within its walls. With97.3%of voting members supportingstrike authorization. Steallatis now knows exactly how serious these concerns are among its Canadian workforce. How things unfold-whether meaningful progress occurs or strikes eventually happen-remains unclear. Enjoy our articles?Make Mopar Insiders your go-to sourceon Googleand see more stories pop upin your results!Addto Preferred Sources! function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s){if(f. fbq)return; n=f. fbq=function(){n. call Method? n. call Method. apply(n, arguments): n. queue. push(arguments)}; f._fbq=n; n. push=n; n. loaded=!0; n. version= ‘2.0’; n. queue=[]; t=b. create Element(e); t. async=!0; t. src=v; s=b. get Elements By Tag Name(e)[ 0]; s. parent Node. insert Before(t, s)}(window, document,’script’,’%%URL9%’); fbq(‘init’, ‘734858850411425’); fbq(‘track’, ‘Page View’); (function(d, s, id){var js, fjs=d. get Elements By Tag Name(s)[0]; if(d. get Element By Id(id)) return; js=d. create Element(s); js. id=id; js. src=”//connect. facebook. net/en_US/sdk. js#xfbml=1&version=v3.2″; fjs. parent Node. insert Before(js, fjs)}(document, ‘script’,’facebook-jssdk’));
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