'Don't close, don't sell': Union implores Stellantis to keep Brampton plant as automaker signals sale

'Don't close, don't sell': Union implores Stellantis to keep Brampton plant as automaker signals sale

Bargaining talks between union, Stellantis reached impasse last Friday: Unifor

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."

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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.

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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."

"The automotive industry continues to face unpredictable trade policies, challenging regulatory requirements and affordability pressures," the letter said.

Louann Gosselin, spokesperson for Stellantis, emailed a corporate statement saying the company believes an MOU with Roshel offers a "credible path" to create jobs and "generate long-term economic value" for Brampton, Ontario and Canada.

"We believe this outcome is in the best interest of both the community and employees, transforming an idled facility into a productive operation that can create jobs quickly and support long-term economic growth," the statement said.

CBC has reached out to and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada for comment.

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Union says strike action a possibility

Payne said that up until the union found out about the automaker's MOU with Roshel, the conversation with Stellantis was that they were committed to Brampton.

Roshel's entry has interfered with and brought "additional complications" to the union's bargaining with Stellantis, she said.

The current collective agreement between the automaker and union is set to expire Sept. 20 at 11:59 p.m.

Payne said Unifor's objective is to reach a tentative settlement without need to take strike action, but it "remains a real possibility."

Unifor, Stellantis talks hit impasse over future of Brampton plant

Payne sent a letter to federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly Wednesday, asking her to provide details on what conversations the government may have had with Stellantis on the MOU, what options were considered, and whether the government has approved a sale.

"Selling that plant in the middle of a trade war, and in the middle of collective bargaining, is indefensible," she said.

Feds putting 'maximum pressure' on Stellantis over Brampton plant sale: Joly

Ardis Snow, chairperson at the Brampton plant who's worked there for almost 38 years, said worker anxiety has been "very high."

Snow said that while workers have been collecting unemployment and getting supplemental pay so far, some have had to dip into "rainy-day" funds or "cash in some RSPs" to support themselves.

"Our members are very anxious at this point in time. They just want to get back to work [and] be able to provide for their families like they've been doing for many years," he said.

If the plant closed, it would be "absolutely devastating," he said.

Payne said the Brampton plant serves as a symbol for the rest of the automotive industry in Canada.

"If the commitments Stellantis made can be broken in Brampton, they can be broken anywhere," she said.

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Unifor, General Motors to begin contract negotiation talks today

Future of plant 'one big ugly mess': automotive reporter

Greg Layson, online editor at Automotive News Canada, has been following developments on Stellantis and called the contract talks and future of the Brampton plant "one big, ugly mess."

The MOU with Roshel could be a solution, he said, but the best short-term solution would be to not close the plant and to not sell it.

Layson referred to the contract talks as the "messiest I've ever seen" given the backdrop of the trade war and unfulfilled commitments from Stellantis that were tied to federal and provincial investment.

Those commitments included fulfilling a production mandate at the Brampton plant in return for a $15-billion performance incentive from Ottawa and Ontario.

Uncertainty from the trade war and approaching U.S. midterms could also "quickly" impact economic policy and market conditions, he said.

Stellantis looking for new model to fill Brampton plant, says Carney

Alina Snisarenko is a Toronto-based journalist. She currently works as a digital writer for CBC Toronto and has previously worked as an associate producer with CBC Radio's Metro Morning. You can reach her with story ideas or tips at alina.snisarenko@cbc.ca.

With files from Meagan Fitzpatrick, Philip Lee-Shanok and Lorenda Reddekopp