Stellantis Will Extend Second-Shift Production At The Windsor Assembly Plant!

Shift Will Continue Through December 31st...

Robert S. Miller April 29, 2022

2024 Chrysler Grand Caravan SXT. (Chrysler Canada).

Stellantis has confirmed that it will extend the second-shift production of its trio of minivan offerings at the company’s Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada through December 31st, 2022. The decision is great news for the 1,800 employees who were scheduled to be cut earlier this month.

A Chrysler Pacifica has sealer applied to its underbody at the Windsor Assembly Plant. (Chrysler).

In October, the automaker announced its plans to cut back the 4,262 (4,058 hourly; 208 salaried) workforce, originally scheduled for early April. Stellantis cited the ongoing global semiconductor shortage and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was revaluated in February, with the announcement that the company would extend the second shift until the end of June.

During the Q1 2022 period, Stellantis sold a total of 26,366 minivans in the U.S. and 1,504 minivans in Canada. While those numbers are down compared to 2021, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares stated that the company will commit to its 2020 Unifor-FCA Collective Bargaining Agreement.

2022 Chrysler Pacifica Limited AWD rolling off the Windsor Assembly Plant line. (Chrysler).

The agreement included an investment of $1.43 billion CAD ($1.13 billion USD) to install a new multi-energy vehicle architecture, including Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) and Battery Electric (BEV) vehicle capability, and at least one new model on that architecture at its Windsor Assembly Plant. Unifor expects to return to a three-shift workforce once the electrified vehicles are launched.

Unifor Local 444 President, David Cassidy released the video above on the official Local 444 Facebook page on Thursday evening.

Stellantis and LG Energy Solutions (LGES) announced that the two companies entered into a memorandum of understanding to form a new joint venture to produce battery cells and modules for the North American market, back in October. Last month, Stellantis and LGES unveiled details to invest more than $5 billion CAD ($4.1 billion USD) to establish operations, which include an all-new battery manufacturing plant located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Plant construction activities are scheduled to begin later this year, with production operations planned to launch in Q1 of 2024.

Stellantis and LGES, along with members of government, at the announcement for the new battery plant. (Stellantis).

The plant aims to have an annual production capacity in excess of 45-gigawatt hours (GWh) and will create an estimated 2,500 new jobs in Windsor and the surrounding areas. Each of the municipal, provincial, and federal levels of the Canadian government has agreed to fully support the successful operation of the joint venture company.