Strike action on the table if Stellantis sticks to plan to sell Brampton plant: union

TORONTO – The union representing more than 9,000 Stellantis workers in Canada says a strike is a “real possibility” after talks with the automaker broke down over its intent to sell an assembly plant in Brampton, Ont.

Unifor national president Lana Payne said Thursday the union still hopes to reach a new collective agreement with Stellantis before the current deal expires Sunday at 11:59 p.m.

However, that would require the company to switch gears, as Payne called it “indefensible” to sell the plant during the current trade war between Canada and the United States.

“This would make Brampton the first auto plant to fall in this trade war and when plants close, they rarely, if ever, come back,” Payne said at a news conference.

“This is not just about one plant. Brampton is a symbol now … of a much larger concern about Stellantis in Canada, about the entire auto industry.”

Stellantis said last week it had signed a memorandum of understanding with defence contractor Roshel for a potential sale of the Brampton facility, which has been idled since 2023.

Stellantis Canada president and CEO Trevor Longley said in a letter to employees on Thursday that “market and trade conditions have directly impacted the original business case” for the Brampton plant. While Longley acknowledged “uncertainty and concern” as a result of the potential sale to Roshel, he said the move could support future operations at the site.

“The automotive industry continues to face unpredictable trade policies, challenging regulatory requirements and affordability pressures,” the letter said.

“Over the past several months, Stellantis has evaluated a range of options to return production to Brampton, including potential new product allocations, interim production concepts, and opportunities with other companies. While each option was carefully reviewed, none provided a sustainable long-term business case that would support continued operations at the facility.”

More than 2,000 workers were laid off from the Brampton plant when it halted operations in 2023.

The facility had been slated to be retooled for Jeep production, a process that began early in 2024, before the company paused the plan in early 2025. It later announced it was moving production of the Jeep Compass to the U.S., in what the union has called a violation of its current collective agreement, leaving the plant idled indefinitely. 

Payne said Unifor has filed a grievance over that decision.

The future of the Brampton plant has been a central issue in the contract negotiations, which kicked off earlier this month. The union had hoped to reach a new deal by Sept. 11, but talks came to a standstill as news circulated surrounding the MOU between Stellantis and Roshel.

Payne said a potential strike is still weeks away, as they are required to engage in a conciliation process before that can take place. Unifor members have also not yet taken a vote that would potentially provide the union a strike mandate.

On Wednesday, Payne wrote to Industry Minister Mélanie Joly urging the federal government to block a potential sale of the plant and clarify whether the MOU breached commitments Stellantis has made to Ottawa.

Last fall, following a conversation with the global head of Stellantis, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he had expressed disappointment over the company moving Jeep Compass production to Illinois. At the time, the prime minister said he reminded the company of its commitments to the federal government under funding deals, which include upward of $14.6 billion in financial support for the battery plant Stellantis is building with LG in Windsor, Ont.

Carney said there would be consequences for the company if it doesn’t meet its obligations that included keeping the Brampton plant.

Joly said Wednesday that Ottawa wants to see a “new model from Stellantis” at the plant and would apply “maximum pressure” to make that happen. She said the government would “get our money back” if the company doesn’t fulfil its obligations.

But Payne said that response doesn’t go far enough.

“Payback of funds from a broken contract is not the answer, not unless it keeps the Brampton plant open for the workers and the suppliers who depend on it,” she said.

“Stellantis is looking for an exit and no one should be holding the door open.”

She added that Roshel’s involvement “has interfered with and brought additional complications to our bargaining with Stellantis.”

“Canada cannot afford to lose its vehicle assembly capacity. This is absolutely unacceptable, and there is no substitute, not for the quality of jobs, not for pay and benefits, not the supply chain.”

Roshel has said it is willing to consider hiring laid-off workers from the plant as soon as this year “through the federal government’s Light Utility Vehicles procurement program and other automotive and defence opportunities.”

Roshel CEO Roman Shimonov said the company plans to establish a Canadian Centre of Excellence for Defence Manufacturing in Brampton in addition to automotive production, that would involve more than 2,000 jobs.

In a statement, Stellantis spokesperson LouAnn Gosselin said the automaker remains available to speak with Unifor and encouraged the union to meet with Roshel to better understand its vision for the plant. She said that approach “offers a credible path to create jobs, return the site to productive use and generate long-term economic value.”

Gosselin noted that a transaction has not been finalized to date.

“We believe this outcome is in the best interest of both the community and employees, transforming an idled facility into a productive operation that can create jobs quickly and support long-term economic growth,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2026.