The head of the union local representing Windsor minivan workers has mixed feelings about the impact of a potential merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Volkswagen.
That possibility has floated to the top now that VW's top executive has expressed interest in the idea.
Unifor Local 444 President Dino Chiodo says they've had 3 experiences with mergers in recent years, one positive and two negative.
He says there is a potential upside for the joined company: "what I do like with reference to the idea of the merging component is that they do share technologies, they do share information like transmissions like engine components like efficiency ratings on vehicles carbon emissions"
Chiodo says the Daimler-Chrysler experience was not a good one, with the company sucking up all the technology and ideas, then selling off the Chrysler assets to Cerberus which was the company that went bankrupt.
He says all of this is speculation, but he would expect the FCA role to be significant.
Chiodo believes the Windsor operations would be secure in such a merger because of the unique product made here and the high level of quality being produced.
It's one of the only FCA plants on the planet that has actually made a Volkswagen product, the now defunct Volkswagen Routan minivan.