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TORONTO — Unifor says Stellantis is seriously considering the closure and sale of its Brampton, Ont., assembly plant, which has been idled since 2023.
The union says it received notice of the potential move from the automaker on Wednesday.
“To say that we are disappointed would be an understatement. This is a gut punch to our union and to our members, most importantly to our members, the workers who have given everything to this plant,” Unifor national president Lana Payne said at a news conference Friday.
“The Brampton Assembly plant has been an economic anchor for the community of Brampton for generations, a driver of good union jobs and a producer of the iconic Chrysler and Dodge brand vehicles.”
The Brampton plant 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. In October 2025, Stellantis announced it was moving production of the Jeep Compass from Brampton to the U.S., leaving the plant idled indefinitely.
The move to shift production stateside sparked criticism from Canadian politicians at the time, particularly in the Ontario and federal governments.
Payne said that the “irony here” is that nobody is currently building the Jeep vehicle that was promised to Unifor local 1285, which represents about 2,200 Unifor members at the Brampton plant. Those workers have been laid off since December 2023.
“This has been a lose-lose scenario for workers on both sides of the border,” she said.
Payne said the union was informed of the company’s intent to “open discussions with another firm about the potential sale of the plant.”
When asked whether the third party was an automaker, Payne said, “You’ll have to ask Stellantis that, but if we were looking at having an auto plant there, I probably wouldn’t be as upset right now.”
Unifor says Stellantis has not provided it with formal written notice of the plant’s closure, but that its collective agreement with the automaker states it must provide no less than one year’s notice in the event of a closure or sale.
The union is in the process of negotiating new labour agreements with the Detroit Three automakers. It’s currently in talks with General Motors, and is set to move on to Stellantis next.
When asked, Stellantis neither confirmed nor denied that it’s considering closing and selling the plant.
“We are preparing to enter the collective bargaining process and have nothing to announce at this time. Our focus remains on finding a sustainable manufacturing solution for Brampton Assembly,” LouAnn Gosselin, a spokesperson for Stellantis Canada, said in a statement.
