A hiring milestone at the Windsor Assembly Plant.
Stellantis announced Monday that over 1,000 employees have now been hired for the third shift which is due to return in early 2026.
Workers at the plant assemble the Chrysler Pacifica, Chrysler Voyager, and Grand Caravan minivan, the number-one selling minivan in both Canada and America.
The plant is also producing the all-new, SIXPACK-powered, two-door 2026 Dodge Charger Scat Pack. Alongside the Charger Scat Pack, Windsor is producing two- and four-door versions of the all-electric, 670-horsepower 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack. Production of the SIXPACK-powered Dodge Charger R/T and four-door SIXPACK-powered Charger models will begin in the first quarter of 2026.
Local 444 President James Stewart says the figure includes an additional 250 employees from the Stellantis Brampton Assembly Plant who are transferring to Windsor after the company announced in October 2025 that it would move Jeep Compass production to the U.S., impacting thousands of jobs at the Brampton facility.
Stewart says all the hires are being brought up to speed on the work ahead and the qualifications they need.
"All their safety certifications are up to snuff, and their WHMIS {Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System} courses are up to snuff. We're doing that now, and then they'll be introduced to the plant. Some of them are already in the plant, learning jobs, learning the areas they're going to, getting familiar with layouts, and ultimately ready to go when the plant comes online in the new year," he says.
Stewart says there's still room for a couple hundred more hires.
"They don't want to go too far until they have all the Brampton workers working in the plant; they want to have some wiggle room," he says. "They don't want to get into a position when they've hired more than they need, so they're hiring on the conservative side."
The automaker announced in early September 2025 that the third shift would be returning in mid-February 2026 after being eliminated in July 2020, resulting in the loss of 1,500 jobs.
"Today's announcement reinforces Canada's critical role in Stellantis' global operations," said Trevor Longley, president and CEO of Stellantis Canada. "For more than a century, we've proudly assembled vehicles here-over 25 million to date. With major investments and a growing workforce, we remain confident in Canada's talent, innovation, and manufacturing strength. As we lead the future of advanced automotive production, we're thrilled to see our new Windsor Assembly Plant team hitting the ground running."