There's good news for Ford workers in Windsor embedded in Thursday's announcement that the Ford Motor Company will start production on the F-Series Super Duty trucks at its plant in Oakville.
Unifor said when production at the Oakville Assembly Complex starts in 2026, those trucks will need engines built in Windsor.
It said 150 jobs will come to the Windsor Engine Complex, which includes the Essex Engine Plant.
Unifor Local 200 President John D'Agnolo isn't sure when the hiring spree will start, but said with no workers on layoff, the jobs will go to new employees.
"We're in the position where we're hiring," he said. "It takes time to make the machines to get into the plant, but they have ramped up the installation in Oakville. They're not playing around."
D'Agnolo said retooling in Oakville has already begun, but Ford needs to prepare the Essex Engine plant to support it.
"We're going to have to expand within the Essex Engine Plant because the Annex, as of right now, is fully utilized with all three shifts, but we do have some capacity at the Essex Engine Plant."
Production at the Oakville complex ceased in May when the last Ford Edge rolled off the assembly line. Ford was going to build battery electric vehicles there but pushed back production to 2025-2027. The company will start installing equipment and tooling at the plant this summer.
Without Thursday's announcement, Oakville workers faced more than three years on layoff.
In the meantime, D'Agnolo said Ford recognizes it has value in its Windsor workforce.
"They recognize what Windsor's got in terms of quality and productivity. They continue to invest in our community, which is so important, especially with new technologies coming," he said. "It's always important that we lead the way, and we have."