Unifor is urging General Motors to reconsider its plans to reduce its Oshawa Assembly Plant from three shifts to two.
The company announced it was making the changes in light of the evolving trade environment.
Unifor President Lana Payne said the move is "short-sighted."
"GM's move is premature and disrespectful — jumping the gun before Prime Minister Carney and President Trump even begin their talks on a new economic deal," said Payne.
GM was the leading automaker by sales in Canada last year and in the first quarter of 2025. In 2024, GM produced 151,000 vehicles in Canada but sold nearly 300,000 – vehicles mostly imported from factories in the United States.
“Trump’s tariffs are designed to crush Canadian production — but GM doesn’t get a free pass to abandon its commitments, and the U.S. doesn’t get to free ride in Canada,” said Payne. "GM has had strong support from workers, the community, and governments. Canadians invested millions to revive this plant. Cutting jobs now has consequences. The company has six months to fix this."
The union also calls on the federal government to meet with automakers to reaffirm their commitments to Canadian investment.
“GM Oshawa was reopened thanks to the hard work of our members and significant investments by the federal and provincial governments based on a promise to maintain good jobs and production,” said Chris Waugh, Unifor GM Oshawa Assembly Plant Chairperson. “We will not sit idly by as that promise is eroded one shift at a time.”
Another temporary shut-down at the Windsor Assembly Plant was also announced by Stellantis this week.