Unifor, the union that represents Stellantis autoworkers in Canada, said on Oct. 6 that it will hold strike authorization votes because contract talks with the automaker remain at an impasse. Voting is set for Oct. 17 and 18, with results to be announced on Oct. 19. A yes vote would give the union's bargaining committee the authority to call a strike, but Unifor stressed that it does not automatically mean one will happen.
The dispute reaches American driveways because of one plant. Windsor Assembly in Ontario builds the Chrysler Pacifica and Voyager minivans and the Dodge Charger. Stellantis says more than 1.15 million Pacificas have been produced exclusively at Windsor over the past decade, and it calls the Pacifica the best-selling minivan in the United States and Canada. The plant is already scheduled to be idle for three more weeks this fall.
Why talks stalled
Bargaining opened Sept. 1, after Unifor had reached agreements with Ford and General Motors, and stalled on Sept. 11 after 10 days of talks, according to AM 800 CKLW in Windsor. The old contract expired Sept. 20. The central issue is the idled Brampton Assembly Plant, which Stellantis wants to sell to Canadian armored vehicle maker Roshel, the station reported.
Unifor's statement says the core economic pattern on offer is conditional on the union agreeing to close and sell Brampton. The union said it tried to reach a tentative agreement without a strike vote, as it had with Ford and GM, and that the open issues go further than one plant.
"To be clear, the unresolved issues with the company extend well beyond the future of the Brampton Assembly Plant. They relate to the broader job security of all union members and the future of Stellantis operations across Canada." — Unifor statement signed by National President Lana Payne, Oct. 6, 2026
Windsor's on-again, off-again schedule
Separately, production at Windsor has been canceled for the weeks of Oct. 19 and 26 and Nov. 2, CTV News reported on Oct. 2. The plant had already been down for the previous two weeks along with its feeder plants, and more than 6,400 Windsor workers are affected. Stellantis attributed the downtime to market conditions.
"Stellantis continues to evaluate and adjust its manufacturing operations in response to evolving market conditions, including consumer demand and the impact of tariffs." — Stellantis statement to CTV News
The stoppages come only months after a celebration. In May, Stellantis marked the start of production of the refreshed 2027 Chrysler Pacifica at Windsor and said it had added a third shift there in 2026, bringing in more than 1,700 new employees to meet expected demand for its minivans and Dodge muscle cars.
Key dates in the Stellantis-Unifor dispute
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Sept. 1 | Unifor and Stellantis open bargaining |
| Sept. 11 | Talks stall after 10 days |
| Sept. 20 | Collective agreement expires |
| Oct. 2 | Windsor downtime confirmed for weeks of Oct. 19, Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 |
| Oct. 6 | Unifor announces strike authorization votes |
| Oct. 17-18 | Strike authorization voting |
| Oct. 19 | Vote results announced |
Sources: Unifor, AM 800 CKLW, CTV News.
What it means for buyers
For now, nothing changes on dealer lots. A strike vote is a bargaining step, and the three weeks of downtime were scheduled before the vote was called. But Windsor is the only source of the Pacifica, so a long shutdown, whether from slow demand or a strike, would stop the flow of new minivans and Chargers to U.S. dealers. Anyone shopping for a Pacifica, Voyager or Charger this fall may want to watch the Oct. 19 result, then check local inventory before counting on a particular color or trim.
