The Crown Royal bottling facility in Amherstburg has closed two days ahead of schedule.
Workers were notified Wednesday afternoon, according to Local 200 President John D'Agnolo.
Speaking on AM800's The Shift with Patty Handysides, D'Agnolo said the early layoff was a "blindside" to the nearly 100 members still on the job, although he added they were told they would be paid for the rest of the week.
"I can tell you, I'm very flustered about this and I'm very sad to see that site go away, and that community and the impact it'll have on those members," he said.
The company announced in August 2025 it was shuttering the Essex County factory, putting just over 200 employees out of work.
Diageo said it would maintain production in Manitoba and Quebec.
The Ontario government reached a $23 million agreement with Diageo earlier this month, which included $1 million for Windsor-Essex.
Premier Doug Ford had vowed to remove Crown Royal from the LCBO's shelves after the Amherstburg facility closed if the company didn't present a plan to keep some labour in Ontario.
D'Agnolo said Ford should have following through on that threat.
"The support of our government should have stepped in and said listen we sell a lot of spirits for you, you need to keep this plant open and that just didn't happen. It's very frustrating to see these workers lose their jobs," D'Agnolo said.
One of the key elements of the agreement included $500,000 to Invest WindsorEssex for economic development with a focus on Amherstburg and the surrounding area, and $500,000 to other community projects to support residents of Amherstburg.
D'Agnolo said it was still one of the most frustrating contracts he's ever seen.
"I know they have looked to create jobs in other areas, but, they should have already been doing that," he said.
"Our farmers should have been producing for that company. It's Canadian alcohol. The canning should have been here. Everything shoulda been already here."
The company listed its property at 110 St Arnaud Street for sale at the end of 2025.
At the time of this publication, the listing was still up.
CTV Windsor has reached out to Diageo for comment.
-With files from CTV Windsor's Michelle Maluske and AM800's Rusty Thomson