The president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association believes the return of the third shift to the Windsor Assembly Plant shows 'there's still a lot of heartbeats left' in the Canadian auto sector.
Flavio Volpe says coming back to a third shift, especially while the tariff threats from the White House have not subsided, means that the company has made some strong strategic decisions that would require this.
In May, the company announced production of the base-model electric Charger Daytona R/T was being postponed, but more powerful electric variants like the Daytona Scat Pack are still being made along with gas-powered Dodge Charger models. The Windsor plant also continues its role in manufacturing Chrysler Pacifica minivans.
A company statement to AM800 News says, "In anticipation of increased demand for the products built at the Windsor Assembly Plant, including all versions of the Chrysler Pacifica and the new SIXPACK-powered Dodge Charger Scat Pack and R/T models, Stellantis confirms that it will be returning the plant to a three-shift operation in early 2026, honouring a commitment made during 2023 Unifor negotiations."
Volpe says the product that's in there, even though it's newly launched in the past few years, has been really hurt by the tariffs coming from the White House.
"To hear that the company is committed to going to that third shift, it means they see demand for it, perhaps in other markets like at home in Canada," he says. Also important for thousands of workers, not just at the plant, but at the plant and the feeder supplier plants there."
Volpe says the company has remained committed to Windsor even though the White House has tried to get them to walk away from that commitment.
"They made a strategic decision to add gas-powered engines to the Charger line because the White House also pulled its support for EVs in the U.S., where those Chargers were going," he says. "I thought that was a good strategic decision. This announcement sounds like that company is saying the market has responded."
The third shift was eliminated in July 2020, resulting in approximately 1,500 job losses.
It's anticipated that the third shift could employ up to 1,000 new and returning employees, but there are still conversations to take place around the hiring process.
Volpe says coming back to a third shift, especially while the tariff threats from the White House have not subsided, means that the company has made some strong strategic decisions that would require this.
"That's important; these companies are not charities. They're not doing it because they feel bad and want to support their Windsor workforce. They're doing it because they need them. That's always the healthiest sign that there are still a lot of heartbeats left in the Canadian auto sector," he says.
Unifor Local 444 represents roughly 4,500 workers at the assembly plant and 1,250 workers at the feeder plants.