‘This is just as devastating as a military attack’: Windsor Assembly shutdown tied to Trump tariffs, Union says

The decision to temporarily shut down Windsor’s Stellantis Assembly Plant was made within hours of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of new tariffs, said Unifor Local 444 President James Stewart.

“That’s the shocking part, that within three or four hours, they made that decision,” Stewart said in an interview.

Stellantis has confirmed Windsor Assembly will shut down for the weeks of April 7 and April 14, with production expected to resume the week of April 21. The automaker is also pausing production at its Toluca Assembly Plant in Mexico for the month of April and temporarily laying off 900 workers at plants in Michigan and Indiana.

In an email statement, Stellantis said it is still evaluating the impact of the tariffs.

“Stellantis continues to assess the effects of the recently announced U.S. tariffs on imported vehicles and will continue to engage with the U.S. administration on these policy changes. Immediate actions we must take include temporarily pausing production at some of our Canadian and Mexican assembly plants, which will have an impact on several of our U.S. powertrain and stamping facilities that support those operations,” the company said.

Union calls impact devastating

Stewart said the decision will have serious consequences for workers and their families.

“If they lose jobs over this, that’s as devastating as a war,” he said.

“When you take away their ability to make a living for their families and have a good quality of life, this is just as devastating as a military attack.”

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens acknowledged the uncertainty but urged workers to stay hopeful.

“Hang in there,” Dilkens said.

“I’m happy that all three-party leaders are talking about supports for workers at a difficult time. We’re going to have your back on this. We’re used to difficult times in manufacturing and automotive. We will get through this too — it’s just going to be choppy waters while the U.S. administration sorts out their business.”

Concerns over additional tariffs

While Stellantis is reviewing its production schedule, there is growing concern that Trump may move forward with tariffs on automotive parts in the coming weeks, which could further disrupt the industry.

Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, said Canada’s auto sector is deeply connected to the U.S. and Mexico, and suggests these tariffs will have widespread consequences.

“In automotive, especially in these three countries, we’re so intertwined,” Volpe said.

“The Americans could not aim at Ontario and miss Michigan. And there is nothing about Stellantis that’s inefficient. This product is segment-leading, meaning they sell more of that product in that segment than any of their competitors in a plant that was part of a $5 billion investment just a few years ago.”

Canada’s auto sector employs more than 120,000 people, with an additional 460,000 workers in related industries.

For now, products that comply with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) are exempt from the tariffs — but that could change.

Union vows to fight for workers

Stewart said the union will continue pushing for solutions and ensuring that the government takes action.

“This is just the first step. Now we have to make sure that we’re working hard to resolve these issues,” he said.

“Knowing there’s a lot of people in the background fighting on our behalf is good. We’re still talking at all levels of government, and we’re still going to be talking to our counterparts in the States. I think, eventually, the whole industry is going to have a problem, and hopefully, calmer heads prevail, and we resolve this sooner than later.”

Stewart warned that the issue won’t be limited to Stellantis and could spread across Ontario’s entire manufacturing sector.

“It’s going to affect everyone in this city and Ontario in general. This is just the first attack on our auto industry. Other automakers will have to make decisions on their vehicles, and this will impact manufacturing across the province.”

He also strongly criticized the tariffs, calling them unfair and unfounded.

“The tariffs are unjust. They’re not justified against Canada. We are a good-paying jurisdiction,” he said.

“We have good health and safety legislation and high standards in our workplaces. This is not the jurisdiction the U.S. has lost jobs to — Canada has lost jobs just like any other country. So, this is unjust.”

Meantime, workers at Windsor Assembly — and across the industry — are left waiting to see what happens next.

“It’s not looking good right now,” said Sherri Lowen, an employee at the plant.

“They’ve talked about shifts moving, which is we work two weeks, the other shift works two weeks on days, we’ll see. You’re laid off every two weeks.”

Vince Donaghey said he’s trying to plan his future with the plant.

“Of course I’m nervous,” he said.

“I want to retire here. If I lose this, then I have nowhere else to go, really.”

Windsorite Lawrence Moore said this will have impacts on younger generations just starting jobs too.

“The young kids just starting jobs, everybody’s going to lose them,” Moore said.

“Windsor’s going to shrivel up if anything more happens with these tariffs.”