The union representing Canadian workers at Stellantis is urging the automaker to keep its commitment to retooling its Brampton Ont., plant as the company looks poised to sell it instead.
Stellantis announced last Friday that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Canadian armoured vehicle maker Roshel on a potential sale of its Brampton plant.
Speaking at a news conference Thursday in Toronto, Unifor national president Lana Payne said the union does not accept the automaker’s decision to sell.
“Stellantis is 100 per cent serious about exiting Brampton. Currently that is their only plan. Everyone needs to understand this, especially our governments,” Payne said.
The plant has been idle since 2023, initially in order to be retooled for Jeep Compass production, before the company paused the plan in early 2025. It later announced it was moving production of the vehicle model to the U.S instead.
“Our union has not wavered in its position that the best course of action for Brampton is for Stellantis to commence retooling of the promised Jeep Compass,” she said.
“Don’t close, don’t sell. Protect the integrity of the plant as a bridge to future vehicle production.”
Unifor says it received information from Stellantis on Wednesday about plans to possibly close or sell the Brampton plant. CBC Dale Manucdoc breaks down what we know.
We are committed to Canada, Stellantis says
A letter from Stellantis shared with CBC News by a worker at the Brampton plant said the automaker remains “firmly” committed to Canada.
“Now in our 101st year here, we continue to build vehicles in Windsor, operate our Etobicoke casting facility and invest in advanced research and development at our engineering centre in Windsor,” the letter said.
“We remain available to meet with Unifor and encourage them to meet with Roshel to better understand their vision for the Brampton assembly plant.”
Payne said the union has not sat down and talked with Roshel.
In an email Thursday, Roshel passed along a statement that CEO Roman Shimonov issued last Friday. His statement said the company has an “ambitious plan” for production in Brampton and it’s ready to commit to laid-off Unifor workers and bring them back to work.
“We look forward to successfully concluding our discussions with Stellantis and implementing our plans to bring over 2,000 jobs, as well as new sovereign capabilities, including the production of ballistic steel, to Canada and to this facility,” his statement said.
The letter from Stellantis also said the automaker evaluated a “range of options” to return production to Brampton, but none “provided a sustainable long-term business case that would support continued operations at the facility.”
It said that “market and trade conditions have directly impacted the original business case for Brampton.”…
Read More: ‘Don’t close, don’t sell’: Union implores Stellantis to keep Brampton plant
