Unifor members are putting their elbows up to fight Trump’s trade war. Unifor National President Lana Payne joined Local 222 members in Oshawa for an emergency tariff meeting that brought together hundreds of union reps representing thousands of workers at GM Oshawa, and thousands more across the city and the Durham region. We’re in the fight of our lives and not one job will be lost, not one plant closed, not one community hurt without a fight.

TORONTO—Unifor is calling on the federal government to keep all options on the table in the escalating trade war with the U.S. as new auto tariffs will fall on Canada’s auto sector at midnight tonight.

“Trump is gaslighting us, wanting us to be grateful for not having reciprocal tariffs imposed on Canada while he tries to pick off our domestic industries one by one. We won’t fall for it,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Today’s announcement offers absolutely no relief to Canadian workers who are ready to fight for every job, every plant, every community in this U.S.-initiated trade war.”

In today’s tariff announcement at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump did not include Canada in sweeping country-wide reciprocal tariffs. However, previously announced tariffs on non-CUSMA compliant Canadian-made vehicles will come into effect on April 3. The U.S. will also continue its existing 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum as well as other tariffs on Canadian exports, including softwood lumber, and threatened tariffs on pharmaceuticals, copper, semiconductors, wood products and others expected to come into force in the future.

“No one can deny what Trump is trying to do: divert investment away from Canada, steal Canadian jobs, and threaten our sovereignty,” added Payne. “The reality is that this trade war is just getting started and Canada is still feeling the pain of U.S. trade penalties disproportionately worse than any country in the world. That’s why Canada needs the strongest possible response to these tariffs while we work towards building a more resilient Canadian economy.”

Unifor’s comprehensive submission to the federal government’s U.S. tariff consultations, released today, calls for a strong response to U.S. economic aggression, including tailored counter-tariff measures for the auto sector. Industry experts anticipate that cost of new vehicles will rise dramatically with a slowdown of new vehicle sales predicted.

Read Unifor’s recommendations to protect jobs and build a more resilient Canadian economy here.

WINDSOR— Stellantis has responded to the imposition of a 25% auto tariff with the temporary layoff of thousands of Unifor Local 444 members at Windsor Assembly Plant and additional layoffs in Mexico and at U.S. facilities.

“Unifor warned that U.S. tariffs would hurt auto workers almost immediately and in this case the layoffs were announced before the auto tariff even came into effect,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Trump is about to learn how interconnected the North American production system is the hard way, with auto workers paying the price for that lesson.”

Last night, Unifor Local 444 members were informed of a two-week plant shutdown beginning April 7, 2025, with additional schedule changes expected in the coming weeks. The auto tariff on all non-U.S. content in Canadian-made vehicles commenced today.

Unifor represents more than 4,500 Stellantis workers at the Windsor Assembly Plant with additional members employed in the auto parts supply chain, including Unifor members at Local 195.

“Our members are concerned for their jobs and frustrated by the uncertainty that these unjust and needless tariffs are creating across the industry,” said Local 444 President James Stewart. “We are prepared to fight for our jobs with the full backing of Unifor members across the country.”

Unifor has called for increased supports for workers impacted by the trade war and for strong retaliatory action against the U.S.

“The U.S. is targeting Canada’s economy sector by sector, starting with steel, aluminium and auto,” added Payne. “Canada needs to respond swiftly and strategically to halt Trump’s attempt to steal jobs and pick off industries one-by-one.”