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Unifor says it will hold strike votes later this month as contract negotiations with Stellantis remain at an impasse over the future of the company’s Canadian operations.
The union announced Tuesday that members will vote Oct. 17 and 18, with the results expected Oct. 19.
A strike authorization does not automatically mean workers will walk off the job, but it gives the bargaining committee the authority to call a strike if necessary.
Unifor national president Lana Payne, Stellantis Master Bargaining Committee chair James Stewart and vice-chair Vito Beato said the union had hoped to reach a tentative agreement without a strike vote, as it did earlier this year with Ford and General Motors.
But the union says negotiations remain deadlocked over several major issues.
“To be clear, the unresolved issues with the company extend well beyond the future of the Brampton Assembly Plant,” the union said in its statement. “They relate to the broader job security of all union members and the future of Stellantis operations across Canada.”
The future of the Brampton Assembly Plant remains a central issue in the negotiations.
The plant has been idled since 2023 and was previously expected to be retooled for Jeep production. Unifor says Stellantis backed away from its commitment to invest in Jeep production last year, citing factors including U.S. tariffs.
The company later indicated it was considering new vehicle programs at the facility, but in August told Unifor it was seriously considering closing and selling the plant to a third party.
Stellantis has since signed a memorandum of understanding with defence-industry supplier Roshel, which has expressed interest in buying the facility.
Unifor has rejected the proposed closure and sale, saying there must be a suitable resolution for Local 1285 members at Brampton.
Strike action remains ‘a last resort,’ union says
The union also remains concerned about the future of Stellantis operations at the Windsor Assembly Plant and Etobicoke Casting Plant.
In September, after 10 days of intensive bargaining in Toronto, Unifor said talks had reached an impasse. At the time, the union said Stellantis had not confirmed its forecast plans for Windsor and Etobicoke.
Another major sticking point is the economic pattern agreement negotiated by Unifor. The union says Stellantis has offered only conditional agreement to the economic pattern settlement, tying it to the closing of the Brampton facility.
Strike action remains “a last resort,” Unifor said in its statement on Tuesday, but added that having the ability to strike is an important part of collective bargaining and could help create the conditions for a settlement.
Unifor has argued that closing and selling Brampton would threaten workers’ wages, pensions and benefits and have broader consequences for Ontario’s automotive sector and supply chain.
Stellantis Canada president and CEO Trevor Longley has earlier said the company considers Canada an important market and has invested more than $8 billion across its Canadian operations since 2022.
The company has also pointed to investments intended to strengthen its manufacturing footprint and advance battery manufacturing technology in Ontario.
