Unifor Stellantis workers vote 97% in favour of strike mandate with talks still stalled

Bob Becken · CBC News

· Posted: Oct 19, 2026 10:51 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Stellantis workers represented by Unifor have voted 97 per cent in favour of a strike mandate as collective bargaining negotiations remain stalled.

Two days of voting were held on the weekend.

The workers are stationed at factories in Windsor and Toronto — as well as the idled Brampton assembly plant.

• Unifor to hold strike authorization votes at Stellantis

Unifor has said any potential strike action remains its last resort.

“When you deliver a strike authorization vote north of 97% across our Stellantis workplaces, you send a powerful message of unity and strength," said James Stewart, Unifor Local 444 President, in a social media video released Monday morning.

"You have given us the tools to get this done.”

A key sticking point has been the uncertainty around the Brampton factory. Recently, Stellantis said it planned to sell the property to defence contractor Roshel.

More than 2,000 workers were laid off in Brampton in 2023, and the automaker later moved production of its Jeep Compass to Illinois.

• Stellantis says tariffs, consumer demand driving weeks-long layoffs at Windsor plant

Unifor has argued that closing and selling Brampton would threaten workers' wages, pensions and benefits, and have broader consequences for Ontario's automotive sector and supply chain.

Stellantis Canada president and CEO Trevor Longley has earlier said the company considers Canada an important market and has invested more than $8 billion across its Canadian operations since 2022.

In Windsor, a third shift was restored in February of this year.

More to come.