Political leaders from all levels of government are chiming in on Thursday's announcement about the elimination of the third shift at the Windsor Assembly Plant.
Windsor-West New Democrat MP Brian Masse issued a news release, calling the changes "devastating news" while MP Tracey Ramsey says the, "job losses will lead to the loss of thousands of others in the supplier plants, vendors and other businesses that depend on the facility."
Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath called on the province to step in saying, "families had their financial security and future plans erased," adding, "the province can and must step up, step in, and find out right away how the government can stem or stop the job losses, and ensure workers land on their feet."
Premier Doug Ford sent out a release, stating the PC government stands with employees at the Windsor Assembly Plant and will, "fight tooth and nail to protect the jobs of the auto-workers in Windsor."
Premier Doug Ford and Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath released statements following the FCA announcement on March 28, 2019.
Other political leaders have taken to Twitter to express their sympathies.
Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said "All of Canada’s New Democrats are with the people of Windsor tonight where 1500 jobs will be cut by Chrysler -- the community and families need to know their government has their back. Trudeau cannot sit back and wait, we need a National Auto Strategy now."
Sad news of the third shift being cut, which will cost 1,500 people their jobs. I’m thinking of their families and colleagues tonight as the community comes to grips with this news. We simply must make Canada an attractive place for business to grow and create jobs. https://t.co/S3DMt06f46
— Andrew Scheer (@AndrewScheer) March 29, 2019
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has not yet released a statement. But his Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Navdeep Bains, said in a statement;
"I am very disappointed by the news coming from the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) plant in Windsor. My immediate thoughts are with the affected employees, their families and the community of Windsor. I will be travelling to Windsor tomorrow (Friday) to offer our government's unwavering support for these workers and their families, and our commitment to fight for their jobs."
Bain's statement goes on to say "Despite this bad news resulting from a decline in global demand, Canada's auto sector remains strong. With our advanced tech ecosystem, unrivaled market access and highly integrated North American supply chain, our highly skilled auto workers are uniquely positioned to design and build the cars of today and tomorrow. Our government has consistently been there for our auto workers and auto industry, investing $434 million in 40 projects, attracting over $6 billion in investments. We are strongly committed to doing everything we can to fight for these workers and their jobs."
FCA Canada says it is returning to the traditional two shift operation to better align production with global demand and the third shift will be cancelled September 30 impacting roughly 1,500 workers.
The announcement follows months of slumping sales of the Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Grand Caravan, both built at Windsor Assembly.
Sales of the Pacifica this year are down 54 per cent in Canada through February and 24 per cent in the U.S. Sales of the Grand Caravan are down more than 20 per cent in both countries over the same period.
(Image courtesy of CTV News)
The Windsor Assembly Plant employs about 6,000 people and, when running at full capacity, produces nearly 1,500 minivans per day.
Windsor's Mayor Drew Dilkens admits the news is bad for the community, but he also says the local economy is still moving in a positive direction.