'We know how to win,' Unifor president tells workers at Windsor rally amid trade war

"These are not your jobs to take."

That was the message from Unifor President Lana Payne to U.S. President Donald Trump in a fiery rally held in Windsor Saturday afternoon. 

Hundreds gathered at Festival Plaza, including busloads of workers from southwestern Ontario and GTA auto communities who came to Windsor for the "Protect Canadian Jobs" rally. 

"We have jobs to protect, we have a union to defend and we have a country to stand up for," Payne told workers. "But if there's one thing I know ... it's what this union is capable of. Because we know how to fight, and we know how to fight smart. We know how to organize and yes, damn it, we know how to win."

Payne also spoke about the history of the union, which has its roots in Windsor and is at the centre of U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war and tariffs. 

"Here we are again, confronting some of the most powerful forces on the planet," she said. "This is the fight of our lives ... and there's no one I would rather face it with than all of you."

"Our plants, our jobs, our communities, our country. We're fighting for all of it."

Unifor Local 444 President James Stewart, who leads thousands of members at the Windsor Assembly Plant, placed the blame for the trade war square with the U.S. administration.  

"The other lie is that Canadians and Canada stole the U.S. auto industry, that's a lie," he said. 

John D'Agnolo, president of Unifor Local 200 representing workers at two Windsor-Essex Ford engine plants, also encouraged crowds to remember workers in other impacted sectors —  lumber, steel and aluminum among them. 

"It's not just about auto," he said. "We got to protect one another. That's what this is all about today."

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also attended Saturday's rally, speaking with workers as he made his way through the crowd. Other federal election candidates were in attendance, as were Windsor-Essex MPPs and Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles. 

Workers from Oshawa told CBC Windsor they are feeling the uncertainty. 

"I worked really hard for a career, right? I'm only young. I worked really hard for this and I would like to keep going with it. It's really important to me," said Maya Rigby, who works for TFT Global, a company that provides services to General Motors' Oshawa plant.  

Rigby drew in the drug epidemic, which she says is "absolutely terrible" but is helped by having solid auto jobs in the community. 

"GM being open saves a lot of people," she said. "They're getting proper jobs. They're being given the opportunity to have a second chance at life."

One worker at a Windsor vehicle parts manufacturer said he is "terrified" for the future. 

"I'm here ... to stand in solidarity with our union members, to fight against the U.S. president who's been trying to impose all these tariffs which are leading us for layoffs and shutdown," said Asif Shaik, a team leader at CpK Interior Products, an interior automotive parts manufacturer. 

"We are confused. We are terrified."