Workers at Cami Assembly auto plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada have announced they will seize the plant and push owners General Motors Canada into a legal battle, if the automaker attempts to remove machinery from the site. The assembly plant is the biggest employer in the area and the job losses will hit the community hard.
Over 1,100 workers were laid off at the plant when GM announced in October that poor sales of the BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric van, expected to sell to companies like FedEx, DHL and Walmart paused production – with only a single shift in operation.
GM say they the pause is to allow for re-tooling for 2026 EV models but the Unifor union national president Lana Payne says “Canada should not allow companies to leave after receiving billions in public support for EV development due to pressure or market turbulence”. Unifor is Canada’s biggest union with members employed in manufacturing, IT and Media
Industry analysis’s say President Trump’s trade war and the threat of a 25% auto tariff on imported vehicles to the U.S. has played a significant role in damaging sales
Fearful that the plant will be mothballed and lays off will be indefinite, Unifor local official Mike Van Boekel said: “We will occupy the plant until there is a way forward. We want to team up with the federal government and GM to get something for the plant.” He fears that if GM is allowed to take out machinery, the plant would never reopen.
Seizure of the plant could force GM Canada to seek legal action to remove the workers, but the union is prepared to fight the company in court.
Unifor met with Canada’s Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, John Zerucelli, Secretary of State for Labour and other politicians this week. “They told GM to come back with a commitment to the plant” Van Boekel said. “We have made our position with the company crystal clear: nothing comes in and nothing goes out. If they try to remove even one single thing from the plant, we are ready to take over. We are not kidding. We are fighting to ensure the plant stays open – we will do whatever it takes to protect our jobs, our members, and the future of this plant.”
At the time of publishing this report a senior Canadian union official told us: “The workers have not occupied the plant yet. The Government is involved in a legal process to keep the plant open.”