A labour dispute at Titan Tool & Die in Windsor, Ont., has escalated after the company was observed using replacement workers at its Howard Avenue facility — the same plant it told the union it planned to close.
Unifor says it strengthened its picket lines after members spotted the activity. The union subsequently contacted Titan Tool to clarify the company’s intentions, but says the company has not responded.
Company told union plant was closing
In mid-January, Titan Tool & Die notified Unifor that it had ceased operations and would close the Windsor facility. The use of replacement workers — commonly called scabs — contradicts that position, according to the union.
“The company told us the plant was closing then turned around and brought scabs into the facility,” said Emile Nabbout, president of Unifor Local 195. “After a more than a 200-day lockout, Titan still refuses to come clean about the future of this facility. We will continue to strengthen our picket lines because we will not stand by while the company tries to shut out the workers who built this company.”
Lockout began in August
The dispute started Aug. 11, 2025, when Titan Tool locked out its workforce and demanded what Unifor describes as sweeping concessions. The lockout has now passed 200 days with no resolution in sight.
Unifor National President Lana Payne said the use of replacement workers crosses a line. “For nearly seven months, our members have stood up to this employer through every hardship imaginable, fighting for respect and a fair outcome to this lockout,” she said. “The last we heard from Titan Tool, our members were told the company intended to close the facility, but now it’s clear that scabs are in the plant. That is an utterly disgraceful way to treat these workers, their families and the Windsor community.”
Titan Tool has not responded publicly to Unifor’s statements. HR News Canada sought comment from the company but had not received a response by publication time.
Unifor represents 320,000 workers in the private sector across Canada.
