Feeder plants for Windsor Assembly could face potential layoffs as an aftermath of tariffs

Pratyush Dayal · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 03, 2025 5:20 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Automaker Stellantis has confirmed it's shutting down its assembly works successful Windsor, Ont., for 2 weeks, mostly due to the fact that of U.S. tariffs connected imported vehicles, and an aftermath of that would beryllium imaginable layoffs astatine feeder plants.

Unifor Local 444 president James Stewart said that portion betwixt 3,000 and 3,500 workers volition beryllium straight impacted astatine Windsor Assembly, much than 1,250 employees astatine the 5 main feeder plants for Windsor Assembly tin besides look layoffs now.

Stewart said portion assembly works workers get Employment Insurance (EI) benefits astir 65 oregon 70 per cent of their wages, the feeder workers "don't person immoderate of that" with EI astir 40 to 50 per cent of wages.

"Most volition person a hard clip getting done this," helium said.

Emile Nabbout, president astatine Unifor Local 195, which besides represents workers astatine the feeder plants, said the tariffs are going to make a "problem successful the community."

"It's concerning, the feeder plants we correspond … members are each tense of what's happening. Every clip the assembly works is unopen down, announcement of layoff volition spell to our members present arsenic well," helium said.

EI betterment needed: Unifor Local 195

Around 600 members astatine the feeder plants tin beryllium impacted, Nabbout said.

"We are successful the mediate of the election. We privation each those governmental parties to marque a committedness to basal and combat on the idiosyncratic and the national to person a information nett and extortion to the idiosyncratic erstwhile they look those uncertainties," helium said.

"Definitely unemployment security is 1 of the avenues erstwhile determination is simply a speedy and unpredicted layoff, past we would similar the authorities to summation the benefit."

Nabbout said it is "not a reliable income" erstwhile determination is an interruption to enactment and asks the incoming authorities to destruct the waiting play and instrumentality broad EI reform.

"It's precise important successful this predetermination that we arsenic workers, basal up and ballot for a campaigner who supports the betterment for EI and enhances the implicit labour issues that interaction our idiosyncratic each azygous clip determination is an interruption."

Nabbout said amidst each the tariff layoffs and uncertainties, EI betterment is an important issue.

He said the play net request to summation to reflect inflation.

Stellantis spokesperson LouAnn Gosselin said the institution is "temporarily pausing production" starting Monday, with operations acceptable to resume the week of April 21.

"Stellantis continues to measure the effects of the precocious announced U.S. tariffs connected imported vehicles and volition proceed to engage with the U.S. medication connected these argumentation changes," she said successful an emailed connection to CBC News.