About 4,000 workers at Brampton Assembly and related unionized parts suppliers began 2024 on layoff as Stellantis retools the factory to build electric vehicles. The layoffs — most temporary but some likely to become permanent — are a sign of things to come for Canada’s auto industry. Despite billions of dollars in planned investments to build EVs, employment looks likely to decline through the mid-2020s.
“A lot of these members have been working in these facilities for 20-plus years,” Beato said. “This is the first time that they might have to look for work.” Parts companies typically lease their plants, Shiels said. With up to two years of downtime expected, many pulled up stakes and will re-site operations if they win new contracts for the next vehicles coming out of Brampton.
Unsurprisingly, the roughly 1,000 Unifor members at idled or shuttered parts suppliers are taking advantage of the union’s action centres with far greater frequency than assembly staff. As the EV transition gets under way, Stellantis’ Brampton plant is just one of the Ontario assembly sites that will be retooled. Assembly and parts workers are staring down similar fallout with Ford Canada’s Oakville Assembly Complex that’s set to shut down in April, Shiels said.