Unifor Presses Stellantis Over Delays at Brampton Assembly Plant

The future of the Brampton Assembly Plant (BAP) in Ontario continues to hang in the balance after a key follow-up meeting between Stellantis and Unifor on May 2, 2025. Despite expectations for clear answers, the automaker informed the union that the retooling pause remains in effect, offering no new timeline and pushing the next update to June. The information comes from a statement from Unifor issued on May 8th, obtained by MoparInsiders.

This delay comes after Stellantis first announced a minimum two-month pause on February 20th, saying it needed to reassess the powertrain strategy for the next-generation Jeep® Compass (codenamed J4U). At the time, the company promised to follow up with an update by the end of April. Instead, the union was told the pause would continue.

Unifor is deeply concerned about the ongoing uncertainty and what it means for its members and their families. In the union’s view, U.S. tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles are the real reason behind the stall, more so than any powertrain engineering timeline. “Unifor believes the company’s delayed decision-making on the length of retool is primarily related to the imposition of U.S. tariffs on Canada,” the statement said. “Unifor does not doubt the powertrain launch sequence is also a factor – but it is not the core reason for program delay.”

Unifor has pushed hard to pull ahead of the Jeep Compass program instead of delaying it. Stellantis’ Jeep brand revealed the all-new, next-generation J4U Compass in Italy earlier this week. That European model will be produced at the automaker’s Melfi Assembly Plant in Italy, along with several other STLA Medium-based vehicles like the DS N°8 and the future Lancia Gamma. 

“Unifor is also very frustrated with the lack of leadership being shown by Stellantis, including in its failure to communicate with employees,” Unifor said in its statement. “Our union has conveyed this to Stellantis leadership multiple times and has stressed that this no-communication approach needs to change. These are very tense and uncertain times for workers. It is imperative they hear from their employer.”

Tariffs are already impacting the Canadian auto industry. The company confirmed a rotating schedule of one—and two-shift weeks, partial shutdowns, and a traditional two-week summer shutdown in late August for its Windsor Assembly Plant. The plant is gearing up to launch 2026 models of its popular Chrysler minivan series (Pacifica, Voyager, and Grand Caravan) and the Dodge Charger. So the timing of Brampton’s official launch schedule remains a huge question mark.

If this downtime stretches past the originally forecasted 24-month window, Unifor said it will invoke protections negotiated during the 2023 bargaining round, including a potential extension of EV Transition Special Protections.

For now, the union says it will continue pressing Stellantis for answers and action while keeping its members informed.