Canadian auto union Unifor has started negotiations with Stellantis on a new labour agreement covering more than 9,000 employees at sites across the country.
Unifor national president Lana Payne said: “Our focus in this round of bargaining will be on Stellantis’ commitment to Canada, and what that looks like. It’s about positioning our members for the future.”
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Stellantis is the final Detroit Three carmaker to begin talks with the union, after Unifor reached pattern agreements with Ford Motor Company and General Motors.
A central issue in the negotiations is the future of the Brampton Assembly Plant. More than 2,200 members of Unifor Local 1285 at Brampton Assembly have stayed on layoff since the plant was idled in December 2023 for retooling to produce the Jeep Compass electric SUV.
Stellantis put that retooling work on temporary hold in February 2025, then announced in October 2025 that Jeep Compass production would instead move to the US, leaving the Brampton plant idle indefinitely.
In a statement, the union said the future of the idled Brampton Assembly Plant remains its “priority”.
The union also said securing production volumes at Windsor Assembly and the Etobicoke Casting Plant is a major objective in the bargaining round.
Payne added: “The message I delivered to the company is that Stellantis can never take our members for granted. Should never take our union for granted. And can never take this country for granted.”
Unifor has set 11 September as its internal deadline for reaching a “tentative agreement” with Stellantis.
Unifor Stellantis Master Bargaining Committee chairperson James Stewart said: “We expect there to be some difficult conversations in the days to come but our bargaining team is here to do the work and to get the right deal for all our members.”
In August, Stellantis told the union it was “seriously considering” closing or selling the Brampton plant.
The union said the potential shutdown highlights the effects of the auto tariffs imposed by the US President Donald Trump administration.
Stellantis’s Q2 2026 results showed net revenues up 13% year-on-year to €43.5bn ($50.48bn), driven chiefly by a 32% rise in North America and a 6% gain in South America, while Europe held steady and Middle East & Africa and Asia Pacific both slipped slightly.
