Contract talks between Stellantis and Canadian union Unifor broke down after 10 days of bargaining, with the future of the automaker's idled Brampton Assembly Plant emerging as the central obstacle, the Wall Street Journal reported on September 11, 2026. Stellantis has signed a memorandum of understanding with defense-industry supplier Roshel, which has expressed interest in buying the Ontario facility, a proposal Unifor says threatens the wages, pensions and benefits of its members and would deal what the union called a devastating blow to Canada's industrial sector. Stellantis closed the Brampton plant for retooling in 2023, paused that work in 2025 and later moved planned Jeep Compass production to Illinois after U.S. tariffs changed the economics of Canadian production. Roshel plans to establish a defense-manufacturing center at the facility and has offered letters giving laid-off Unifor workers first consideration for jobs, while roughly 2,200 Brampton workers have faced indefinite layoffs. Unifor says Stellantis backed away in October 2025 from a previous commitment to invest in Jeep production at Brampton and later told the union it was considering selling the facility, a sequence that has made Brampton the central issue in the impasse and could complicate management's relationship with more than 9,000 unionized Canadian employees.
Stellantis NVContract talks with Unifor broke down over the future of the idled Brampton plant, complicating Stellantis's relationship with 9,000+ unionized Canadian workers.
Roshel signed an MOU and expressed interest in buying Stellantis's Brampton Assembly Plant to establish a defense-manufacturing center.
