The leader of a local union representing nearly 2,000 Ford employees says he’s feeling “mixed emotions” after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a one-month tariff reprieve for the auto sector.
“You feel still grim, because we don’t have an answer,” said John D’Agnolo, president of Unifor Local 200. “You’re just sitting on the edge of your seat, hoping that something will change. It’s really unfair, to be quite frank with you.”
The White House on Wednesday said the decision to provide the automotive industry with the exemption followed discussions with the Big Three automakers: Ford, Stellantis and General Motors.
“Reciprocal tariffs will still go into effect on April 2, but at the request of the companies associated with USMCA, the president is giving them an exemption for one month so they’re not at a disadvantage,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
Unifor, which represents thousands of local Stellantis employees, said the announcement “doesn’t really change anything.”
“What changed from yesterday and what is going to change in the next 30 days? The only thing that has changed is that Trump realized his tariffs were about to bring the U.S. auto sector to a grinding halt,” Unifor National President Lana Payne said in a statement Wednesday.
“Now he’s granting an extension to use that time to try to extract commitments from the companies to divest from Canada.
“The result is another month of instability in the auto industry, another month to pressure companies to move plants, another month to try to squeeze the Canadian government.”
LISTEN: Unifor’s presidnet calls Trump tariffs an “economic call to arms” for Canada
Windsor Morning8:03Unifor’s president calls Trump tariffs an “economic call to arms” for Canada
Lana Payne is the president of Unifor – Canada’s largest union – and the one that represents thousands of workers in our area.
Trump’s broad 25 per cent tariffs against Canada and Mexico came into effect Tuesday, prompting sharp criticism from Canadian government officials and auto union leaders. Both the federal and provincial governments have implemented countermeasures targeting the U.S.
Industry experts have said Trump’s tariffs would have a disastrous effect on the auto sector because of its deeply integrated cross-border supply chains.
D’Agnolo has said he fears the effects on the local economy, which is heavily reliant on automotive and parts manufacturing, likening the situation to the 2008 financial crisis.
“I’m hoping he’s delaying it for negotiation reasons,” D’Agnolo said. “I’m hoping he’s delaying, rethinking of the things that we might be going through if he does follow through with the 25 per cent tariff […] It’ll damage both sides of the border.”
D’Agnolo, whose members build Ford’s V8 engines, said he believes Canada should maintain countermeasures until tariffs are gone for good – and that the Trump administration should abide by the USMCA, which Trump himself renegotiated during his first term.
“Where I come from, when you sign a document, that is it. You’ve signed that contract, so I hope he listens to some people that’ll say the same thing, because I’ve never been through something so frustrating,” D’Agnolo said.
“We could get into a recession – not based on the economy, but based on decisions being made, and this just cannot happen – I find it absurd – so hopefully he comes around and sees the big picture,” he added.
