There was excitement in the air outside the Windsor Assembly Plant (WAP) on Monday night.
Hundreds of Stellantis employees began rolling into the parking lots shortly after 10:30 p.m. for the long-awaited return of the third shift.
There was a mix of new and returning employees, with many expressing that they were thankful to be employed.
The third shift was eliminated in Jul. 2020, resulting in approximately 1,500 job losses, impacting Windsor's Elaine Ulicny who went back to school in the meantime.
"I was [Temporary Part-Time (TPT)] when the other the third shift cancelled, so I was on the last shift there for a few weeks and saw a lot of people retire. It's nice to see it come back," she said.
She said the return of the third shift meant good news for the auto industry.
"It's great that the industry can prolong its future in Windsor," Ulicny said.
Stellantis announced the return of the third shift in Sept. 2025, honouring a commitment made during 2023 Unifor negotiations.
More than 1,700 employees were expected on the new shift, bringing the total plant employment to roughly 6,000.
Noel Russo said it changed his life when he received the call that he was hired.
"I was doing HVAC for a long time under kind of a crappy company. They weren't giving me benefits or nothing like that, so this, I'm able to provide for my family a little bit better," he said.
He added that he hoped this to be a long-term career opportunity.
"Especially with the return of the return of the combustion engine, the Chargers, and stuff like that, it's going to be good," said Russo.
Stellantis previously said it was restoring three shifts at WAP as it anticipated increased demand for the Chrysler Pacifica and the new SIXPACK-powered Dodge Charger models.
The Charger was named North American Car of the Year at the Detroit Auto Show last month.