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The future of Stellantis’ Brampton Assembly Plant outside Toronto appears more uncertain than ever, with Unifor claiming the automaker is seriously considering closing and selling the longtime Canadian manufacturing facility.
According to CBC News, Unifor National President Lana Payne said the union received information from Stellantis on Wednesday regarding the potential closure. However, the automaker has not provided the formal written notice required under its collective bargaining agreement.
Stellantis has reportedly indicated that it intends to begin discussions with another company regarding a possible sale of the property.
2023 Brampton Assembly Open House. (Heather Hulmes for MoparInsiders).
A Major Blow For Brampton Workers
“To say that we are disappointed would be an understatement,” Payne said. “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.”
Under the current agreement, Stellantis must provide Unifor with at least one year’s notice before closing or selling the plant. While no official notice has been delivered, Payne’s comments suggest Stellantis is seriously evaluating its options.
“There is absolutely no replacement for high paid union jobs developed under an auto sector collective agreement built up over 80 years,” Payne said.
Brampton Assembly most recently produced the Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, and Chrysler 300. Production of those vehicles ended in December 2023, and the facility entered a major retooling process in January 2024.
The plan was to prepare Brampton for production of the next-generation Jeep® Compass. However, Stellantis paused the project in February 2025 while reassessing its North American product and manufacturing strategy.
In October, the company informed Unifor that Compass production would move from Brampton to the United States, leaving the Canadian plant without an assigned vehicle and its workers facing an indefinite layoff.
2023 Brampton Assembly Open House. (Heather Hulmes for MoparInsiders).
Questions Surround Belvidere’s Future Products
The Brampton news comes on the same day Stellantis announced that the next-generation Jeep Cherokee will be assembled at the reopened Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois.
The Cherokee will introduce the company’s new STLA One global modular architecture to U.S. production. Stellantis is increasing its planned investment in Belvidere by approximately $200 million, bringing the total to more than $800 million.
What was noticeably absent from Friday’s announcement was any mention of the next-generation North American Jeep Compass.
The Compass was originally scheduled for Brampton before Stellantis announced that the program would move to Belvidere. Previous plans called for Compass production to begin there before the next-generation Cherokee arrived. However, the newest announcement focuses exclusively on the Cherokee and STLA One, leaving questions about whether the Compass remains part of Belvidere’s future product lineup.
Stellantis has not publicly announced another vehicle for Brampton.
2023 Brampton Assembly Open House. (Heather Hulmes for MoparInsiders).
Unifor Plans To Fight The Decision
The timing makes Brampton Assembly a major issue at the bargaining table. Unifor’s 2026 negotiations with the Detroit Big-3 began on June 22, starting with Ford. Stellantis is the final automaker in this year’s pattern-bargaining process, with talks expected to begin after negotiations with General Motors (GM) conclude.
The current Unifor-Stellantis collective agreement expires at 11:59 p.m. on September 20, 2026, although a specific starting date for the Stellantis negotiations has not yet been announced. That gives the union an immediate opportunity to demand firm answers about whether Stellantis intends to sell the property, close the factory permanently, or assign another vehicle to Brampton.
“None of this is acceptable to our union and nor will it be acceptable to our members. The workers of Brampton and this country deserve so much better,” Payne said.
Until Stellantis provides formal notice or publicly confirms its plans, Brampton Assembly remains idled. However, the possibility of a sale, combined with the approaching September 20 contract deadline; places the plant, its workers, and Stellantis’ Canadian manufacturing commitments at the center of what could become a difficult round of negotiations.
Source: CBC News
Robert S. Miller