Auto plant to be sold?
Daniel Johnson, The Canadian Press – Aug 14, 2026 / 2:39 pm | Story: 628083 Photo: The Canadian Press The Stellantis vehicle assembly plant is shown in Brampton, Ont., on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette Unifor reports that Stellantis is seriously looking at closing and selling its assembly plant in Brampton, Ont., which has been inactive since 2023. The union stated it got word about this possible action from the automaker on Wednesday. “To say that we are disappointed would be an understatement. This is a gut punch to our union and to our members, most importantly to our members, the workers who have given everything to this plant,” Unifor national president Lana Payne said at a news conference Friday. “The Brampton Assembly plant has been an economic anchor for the community of Brampton for generations, a driver of good union jobs and a producer of the iconic Chrysler and Dodge brand vehicles.” The Brampton plant was initially set to be retooled for Jeep production starting early in 2024 before Stellantis paused those plans in early 2025. In October 2025, the company announced it would shift Jeep Compass production from Brampton to the U. S., leaving the facility idle indefinitely. This decision faced backlash from Canadian politicians at that time, particularly from both Ontario’s provincial government and the federal government. Payne highlighted the “irony here” is that no one is currently making the Jeep model promised to Unifor local 1285, which represents around 2,200 workers at the Brampton site. Those employees have been laid off since December 2023. “This has been a lose-lose scenario for workers on both sides of the border,” she remarked. Payne mentioned that Unifor was informed about Stellantis’s intention to “open discussions with another firm about the potential sale of the plant.” When asked if this third party was an automaker, Payne responded, “You’ll have to ask Stellantis that, but if we were looking at having an auto plant there, I probably wouldn’t be as upset right now.” Unifor noted that Stellantis hasn’t given formal written notice regarding the closure of the facility but mentioned their collective agreement states they must provide at least one year’s notice in case of closure or sale. The union is currently negotiating new labor agreements with all three major Detroit automakers. They are engaged with General Motors now and will move on to negotiations with Stellantis next. When questioned about this matter, Stellantis neither confirmed nor denied its consideration of closing and selling off the plant. “We are preparing to enter into collective bargaining and have nothing new to announce at this time. Our focus remains on finding a sustainable manufacturing solution for Brampton Assembly,” Lou Ann Gosselin, a spokesperson for Stellantis Canada said in a statement. Payne expressed that during upcoming labor talks with Stellantis they will address all these concerns directly. In July, Unifor members approved a new three-year deal with Ford which included three percent annual pay raises. The union claims this agreement with Ford marks successful pattern-setting negotiations where terms negotiated with one company are aimed to be replicated across others within the sector. This round of bargaining comes amid challenges facing the auto industry such as U. S. tariffs and changes related to trade agreements along with increasing competition from Chinese electric vehicles entering Canada.Source link
