Unifor Local 444 has told its members at the Stellantis Windsor Assembly Plant the union was notified on Wednesday evening of a two-week shutdown following the announcement of new U.S. tariffs earlier in the day — and more schedule changes are expected to come.
On Wednesday, the union posted a message to its Facebook page relaying company plans to be “down for two weeks” beginning April 7.
The post by local president, James Stewart, read in part:
“While we had heard rumours of potential downtime, the company said there are multiple factors at play, with the primary driver behind the final decision being this afternoon’s announcement from U.S. President Donald Trump of the U.S. tariffs.”
Trump announced new “reciprocal tariffs” on its trading partners in a bid to bring more manufacturing and jobs to the U.S.
“For decades our country has been looted, pillaged, raped, and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,” said Trump in his opening address from the White House Rose Garden in an announcement he dubbed ‘Liberation Day.’
Canada has been spared from those reciprocal tariffs, but the Trump administration maintains 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as newly placed 25 per cent tariffs on all foreign-made automobiles.
For the automotive sector in Canada, all products that comply with the CUSMA Free Trade Deal will continue to be exempt from tariffs for the time being.
Stewart went on to write:
“This has and continues to create uncertainty across the entire auto industry. This is not just affecting our plant — it’s impacting facilities in the U.S. and Mexico as well.”
The note wraps by stressing the union continues to monitor the situation closely with union representatives committed to push for “clarity and accountability” from the company.
Here is the statement Stellantis issued on Thursday:
Stellantis continues to assess the effects of the recently announced U.S. tariffs on imported vehicles and will continue to engage with the U.S. Administration on these policy changes. Immediate actions we must take include temporarily pausing production at some of our Canadian and Mexican assembly plants, which will have an impact to several of our U.S. powertrain and stamping facilities that support those operations.
CTV News’ discussion with another local union leader about the impact of the announcement.
