Unifor's national president is calling it a 'pretty brutal day' for the union members at Ford Motor Company's Oakville assembly plant.
Ford has announced its delaying the start of electric vehicle production at its plant in Oakville to 2027.
Unifor National President Lana Payne says the union was informed of the decision during a meeting Tuesday in Dearborn, Michigan.
The U.S. automaker had planned to start production in 2025 at the Canadian plant which currently employs 2,700 workers.
Ford announced plans last year to spend $1.8 billion to transform its Oakville assembly plant into a hub for electric vehicle manufacturing including vehicle and battery pack assembly.
Payne told AM800's The Shift that this will not only impact workers at the plant but upwards of 2000 union members in the supply chain supporting that plant.
She says they told officials at Ford Motor Company that they've made a commitment to Canadian workers.
"You've made a commitment to the community of Oakville, and more broadly in Canada, and we expect you to live up to that. In the interim, we expect our members to supported throughout this transition. The transition period may have changed but you still have an obligation and a responsibility here.," she says.
Payne says they intend to meet with the company as quickly as possible to explore every possibility to support the workers.
"Make sure that every opportunity is considered here, every stone turned in order to make sure that we're are lessening and mitigating the impact on our members throughout Canada," she says.
Ford says work to overhaul the plant will begin in the second quarter of this year as planned, but the launch of the new three-row electric vehicles to be produced at the factory won't happen until 2027.
Ford spokesman Said Deep says some employees will remain on site during the plant transformation but there will be layoffs.
The company says it will work with Unifor, which represents workers at the plant, to mitigate the impact the delay will have on its workforce.