Cambridge's Roadtrek issues temporary layoff notices in light of U.S. tariffs: Union

Joe Pavia · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 09, 2025 12:40 PM EDT | Last Updated: 21 minutes ago

U.S. tariffs are being blamed for temporary layoff notices at a Cambridge institution that manufactures camper vans and people B RV centrifugal homes.

Roadtrek employs 80 radical and are represented by Unifor Local 1106. 

Union section president Ramon Soutos told CBC K-W this is the archetypal impermanent layoff the institution has experienced.

"Our members astatine Roadtrek received a impermanent layoff announcement connected Friday that they would beryllium laid disconnected the full works for this week," Souto said.

"The anticipation is that they'll beryllium backmost astatine enactment connected April 14, but nothing's confirmed yet."

CBC K-W reached retired to the institution for a remark but did not person a response.

Guelph's Linamar awaits details of caller tariffs on May 3

A caller acceptable of U.S. tariffs are scheduled to footwear successful connected May 3 and those are expected to interaction Guelph's Linamar Corporation, which employs 34,000 radical astir the world.

Linamar is 1 of Canada's largest companies and it supplies car parts to car plants close crossed the continent. 

The institution is waiting for clarification and connected these caller tariffs volition mean. The U.S. medication has said parts that comply with CUSMA (Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement) "will stay tariff-free until the caput of commerce, successful consultation with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), establishing a process to use tariffs to their non-U.S. content."

Jim Jarrell, Linamar's president and CEO, told CBC Radio's Metro Morning helium considers the tariff contented unhealthy for concern and they're inactive looking for much clarity connected what volition hap connected May 3 and the impact the tariffs volition person connected the car and car parts that has been moving astatine a planetary level. 

"It's similar an omelette. How bash you uncook an omelette?" Jarrell said. "You person each these ingredients from Mexico, and we person it from Canada and the U.S. And to uncook this, it's truly hard and it's not pragmatic connected the car parts broadside astatine all." 

Possible concern opportunities?

Jarrell admits if the tariffs persist, the institution volition "have to close size and bash what we request to do."

He said determination whitethorn beryllium an accidental successful each the antagonistic quality if the car portion tariffs are not introduced.

"All of the customers are going to beryllium saying, OK, you know, we person tariffs successful China, we person tariffs successful India, we person tariffs retired of Europe," Jarrell said.

"OK, Maybe if USMCA compliance is critical, we tin present connection that to our customers to person a USMCA compliance which is tariff exempt and commencement to look to bring parts into Canada, North America, US and Mexico."

Protecting jobs

Souto says the national volition continue fighting for the workers astatine Roadtrek to support their jobs.

"Our national volition beryllium warring for our members and we'll bash everything successful our power, immoderate it takes to support these jobs and the manufacture moving forward," Souto said.

"President Trump's causing economical chaos close now, trying to divert investments distant from Canada, bargain our jobs. So it's led to a batch of uncertainty erstwhile it comes to the members. Nobody knows what's going to hap day-to-day."