Donald Trump’s trade war just landed a blow in Windsor.
Auto manufacturer Stellantis has informed its local union that it would be shutting down its Windsor assembly plant for two weeks starting April 7, and that “more changes to the schedule (are) expected in coming weeks.”
According to a memo to members, Unifor Local 444 president James Stewart said the company informed him of the closure Wednesday, after Trump’s Rose Garden announcement on reciprocal tariffs.
“While we had heard rumours of potential downtime, the company said there are multiple factors at play, with the primary driver behind the final decision being this afternoon’s announcement from U.S. president Donald Trump of the U.S. tariffs,” Stewart said in the memo.
Stellantis didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
“We understand the frustration and uncertainty this brings our members and their families. Your union is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to push for clarity and accountability from the company,” Stewart added.
Stewart stressed that the pain of the auto tariff isn’t limited to Windsor.
“(The tariff) continues to create uncertainty across the entire auto industry. This is not just affecting our plant — it’s impacting facilities in the U.S. and Mexico as well,” Stewart said.
In a text message, Unifor national president Lana Payne said the temporary shutdown of the assembly plant will also affect parts manufacturers feeding the Windsor plant.
“Several thousand workers will be impacted by this temporary shutdown to assess things on the tariffs,” said Payne. “I said things would get real. Well, they’re real now.”
A 25 per cent tariff on cars and light trucks imported to the U.S. was scheduled to go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. U.S. officials have said there will be a partial exemption for cars made with parts from the U.S., although it’s still not entirely clear how that will work.
Payne and other auto industry officials have long predicted that Trump’s tariffs would lead to layoffs across the North American industry, given how highly integrated the sector’s supply chain is.
Flavio Volpe, CEO of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, has said the entire industry could shut down within a week.
S&P Global automotive analyst Stephanie Brinley estimated in a recent report that the North American automotive sector could cut production by 20,000 vehicles per day within a week of tariffs coming into force.
