The Canadian autoworkers union is taking the next steps toward a strike as it remains in a month-long contract negotiation stalemate with Stellantis.
Unifor, the union representing about 8,000 Stellantis automotive workers in the country, said on Tuesday, Oct. 6, that it will be holding a strike authorization vote later this month. A vote does not necessarily mean the union will strike. It is the first hurdle to clear, however, if the union should decide to take that action.
The news comes a few weeks after contract talks between Stellantis and Unifor ground to a halt on Sept. 11 as Stellantis furthered plans to sell the Brampton Assembly Plant near Toronto, which employs over 2,000 Unifor members. In the union's previous contract, Stellantis committed
to building the Jeep Compass at the plant. In October 2025, it reneged on that agreement and moved production of the Compass to the United States to avoid tariffs.
Earlier this month, the automaker entered a memorandum of understanding with Roshel, a defense contractor, to sell the plant. Unifor, however, says the sale is "unacceptable" and will cut the jobs of more than 2,000 Canadian autoworkers.
Unifor's contract with Stellantis expired on Sept. 20.
The disagreement over the Brampton plant is the chief grievance among many that Unifor is citing as the cause of the current bargaining deadlock. Unifor entered bargaining in September with the hopes of maintaining a pattern bargaining deal reached by the union and the two other Detroit Three automakers, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors.
Unifor alleges that Stellantis is unwilling to budge on its decision to sell the Brampton plant unless the union signs a weaker deal than the benchmark contracts signed at Ford and GM earlier this year.
"The unresolved issues with the company extend well beyond the future of the Brampton Assembly Plant. They relate to the broader job security of all union members and the future of Stellantis operations across Canada," said Lana Payne, Unifor's national president, in a news release. "Strike action remains a last resort, but the ability to strike is an important part of collective bargaining and can help create the conditions for an agreement."
A Stellantis spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A strike could hold up vehicle part production and distribution done in Etobicoke, a suburb of Toronto, and production of the Dodge Charger and Chrysler Pacifica, which are made in Windsor. However, production of the Charger and Pacifica in Windsor was placed on a three-week pause by Stellantis earlier this month, unrelated to the contract spat.
According to James Stewart, president of Unifor Local 444 in Windsor, production of the Charger and Pacifica is currently scheduled to come back online in early November.
Unifor said that strike authorization votes will take place from Oct. 17 to Oct. 18. Results of the vote will be announced on Oct. 19.
Liam Rappleye covers Stellantis for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him: LRappleye@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Union sets strike vote amid Stellantis stalemate
