The head of the union representing workers at the Diageo plant in Amherstburg says contract talks with the company are due to begin this fall, and he hopes they can negotiate an agreement to keep the plant open.
Unifor Local 200 President John D'Agnolo told AM800's The Shift with Patty Handysides that he's hoping to meet with company officials within the week to discuss Thursday's announcement that the plant at 110 St. Arnaud St. will close as of February 2026.
The local will hold an emergency meeting with its 160 unionized members Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Ciociaro Club.
The company says the move is to improve its North American supply chain but that it will still maintain a "significant" footprint in Canada, including its headquarters and warehouse operations in the Greater Toronto Area and bottling and distillation facilities in Manitoba and Quebec.
D'Agnolo says they're sending some of the work to Illinois.
"We have to do whatever we can to keep that product in Amherstburg, and we will do so. We will try and keep that product. We might have to sit down and do whatever it takes to get there. I hope we have that opportunity to do that," he says.
Crown Royal whisky destined for Canada and non-U.S. export markets will continue to be bottled in Canada, at Diageo's Valleyfield, Quebec, facility.
D'Agnolo says we buy a lot of alcohol here in Canada.
"The impacts of this could hurt this company, and I'm going to send that message because there's no reason. I know we have other facilities in Canada, but at the end of the day, do I believe it's tariffs? They're not telling me that, but I believe so. I believe it is tariffs," he says.
The company just finished hiring staff a few months ago for a third shift at the facility.
Marsha McIntosh, Diageo's president of North America supply, says it was a difficult but crucial decision to improve the efficiency and resiliency of the company's supply chain network.
McIntosh says its Crown Royal products will continue to be mashed, distilled, and aged at its Canadian facilities.