Autoworkers' union files charges against Stellantis, alleges work moving to Canada

The union representing workers at Stellantis in the U.S. is taking action against the company at the National Labour Relations Board in a dispute that has ties to the Windsor Assembly Plant.

The United Auto Workers filed federal unfair labour practices charges on Monday, saying Stellantis is illegally refusing to provide information about product commitments it made in its 2023 collective bargaining agreement.

"Last week, the company confirmed that they are planning to violate our contract once again by moving production of the Dodge Durango from the Detroit Assembly Complex to Canada," UAW president Shawn Fain said during a live-streamed message to members on Tuesday night.

Several UAW locals have also filed contract grievances over the company's alleged attempt to move Dodge Durango production out of the United States, the union said in a news release.

The actions follow reports early this month from auto industry forecaster Global Vehicle Forecasting that Stellantis plans to phase out production of the Durango, which is currently manufactured in Detroit, but will push ahead with a new two-row crossover to be produced in Windsor.

Stellantis responds

A spokesperson for Stellantis told CBC News it has made no such announcement.

On the charges filed by the union, Shawn Morgan said that "Stellantis has not received the filing, and therefore has not had an opportunity to review the charge."

"The company has not violated the commitments made in the investment letter included in the 2023 UAW collective bargaining agreement. Like all of our competitors, Stellantis is attempting to carefully manage how and when we bring new vehicles to market with a focus on enhancing our competitiveness and ensuring our future sustainability and growth. We will communicate our plans to the UAW at the appropriate time."

The vice president of Global Vehicle Forecasting,Sam Fiorani, said his sources told him that Stellantis initially intended to replace the Durango with a different three-row vehicle to be built in Detroit and the two-row vehicle to be built in Windsor — though Fiorani said the two-row vehicle cannot really be described as a Durango replacement, since the Durango has three rows.

He believes Stellantis has since cancelled the new three-row project.

Part of the problem, Fiorani said, is that Stellantis has products that compete with each other, and a key Durango competitor is the Jeep Cherokee, also built by Stellantis Detroit.

The company now hopes to shift Durango customers over to the Cherokee in a move that could boost production of the Cherokee and have minimal impact on jobs in Michigan, he said.

But coming on the heels of Stellantis' decision to delay reopening its plant in Belvidere, Ill., Fain said the loss of the Durango amounts to another violation of its contract with the company, which he said contains commitments to make specific investments in specific assembly plants. 

"In our 2023 contract, we won major gains, including a commitment to reopen an idled assembly plant in Belvidere, Ill., and to build the Dodge Durango in Detroit," he said in the news release.

"We also won the right to strike over those commitments, if we have to … Now, Stellantis wants to go back on the deal. … As a united UAW, we intend to enforce our contract, and to make Stellantis keep the promise."