Stellantis is temporarily laying off thousands of workers across North America, including more than 4,500 members of Unifor Local 444 in Windsor, in response to a new U.S. auto tariff imposed by former president Donald Trump.
The move affects production at the Windsor Assembly Plant, where workers were informed of a two-week shutdown starting April 7. Additional schedule changes are expected in the weeks ahead, the union said. Layoffs have also been announced at Stellantis operations in the United States and Mexico.
The 25 per cent tariff on non-U.S. content in Canadian-made vehicles officially took effect Thursday.
Unifor National President Lana Payne said the layoffs began before the tariff was even implemented, calling the situation a clear consequence of disrupting cross-border supply chains.
“Unifor warned that U.S. tariffs would hurt auto workers almost immediately and in this case the layoffs were announced before the auto tariff even came into effect,” Payne said in a statement. “Trump is about to learn how interconnected the North American production system is the hard way, with auto workers paying the price for that lesson.”
‘Frustrated by the uncertainty’
Local 444 President James Stewart said members are deeply worried about their jobs and frustrated by the instability created by the new tariffs.
“Our members are concerned for their jobs and frustrated by the uncertainty that these unjust and needless tariffs are creating across the industry,” Stewart said. “We are prepared to fight for our jobs with the full backing of Unifor members across the country.”
Unifor is also calling on the federal government to step in with targeted support for workers affected by the growing trade conflict. The union is pressing for a firm Canadian response to the tariffs and broader U.S. trade actions.
“The U.S. is targeting Canada’s economy sector by sector, starting with steel, aluminium and auto,” said Payne. “Canada needs to respond swiftly and strategically to halt Trump’s attempt to steal jobs and pick off industries one-by-one.”
Unifor represents 320,000 private-sector workers across Canada, including those employed in the auto parts supply chain linked to Stellantis operations.
