The union representing thousands of Stellantis employees at the Brampton, Canada plant reports growing concern among workers over the extended suspension of production activities. The facility halted production at the end of 2023, after the gasoline-powered Dodge Charger and Challenger were discontinued, and was supposed to begin restructuring to accommodate future electric models.
Stellantis: uncertainty grows at Brampton as workers await answers
The plant’s transformation began in early 2024 but stopped on February 20, 2025, with the initial plan to resume after eight weeks. Since then, however, work has never restarted. Vito Beato, local president of the Unifor union, told the Brampton Guardian that thousands of workers are now living with significant uncertainty. According to Beato, one of the main issues concerns the economic impact of tariffs, which would make the plant “vulnerable” and increasingly difficult to sustain.
Currently, the facility employs approximately 3,000 people, while another 1,000 workers operate at supplier companies that depend directly on the plant’s activity. Stellantis employees still benefit from union agreements that guarantee income, benefits, and pensions, but the situation is far more critical for those working at suppliers. “The more than 1,000 workers in the supply chain have nearly exhausted their unemployment benefits and find themselves in even more precarious conditions,” Beato explained.
The Brampton plant has been active since the 1980s and has represented a pillar of the local economy for decades, offering stable and well-paying jobs. “It has provided work for generations of people, inside and outside the factory,” Beato added. “We just want to get back to doing what we know how to do: building cars.”
In response, Stellantis spokesperson LouAnn Gosselin said there is currently no defined timeline for resuming work. The company is reviewing its product strategy for North America, evaluating more flexible options for future powertrains. Among the projects put on hold is also the development of the new Jeep Compass, which would have involved the Brampton plant as well.
Despite the stalemate, Stellantis reaffirms its commitment to the production site, recalling the CAD $3.6 billion investment announcement made in May 2022 for the reorganization of the Brampton and Windsor plants, as part of the Dare Forward 2030 plan. However, without a certain date for resumption, workers remain waiting. “We’re ready,” they state, “we just need the green light.”
