Imagine this: After 28 years at the same factory, your company puts you on an eight-week layoff while it retools the plant. Your budget’s tight, but you’ll make it through. Then you get a phone call. Your layoff is extended indefinitely. To make matters worse, Stellantis couldn’t be bothered to call you in person. Your longtime employer broke the news over robocall.
John Muirhead has been working at Stellantis’ plant in Brampton, Ontario, for 28 years. The automaker announced it was taking Brampton offline for eight weeks to retool the plant to assemble the new electric Jeep Compass. It laid off all 3,200 workers, including Muirhead. While he waited to go back to work, he received a phone call that changed everything.
Temporary layoffs become permanent
Stellantis has decided to reopen an Illinois factory for the Jeep Compass to avoid tariffs. It has no plans for Brampton and extended the layoffs indefinitely.
The news hit Muirhead especially hard. “I’ve got 28 years in this plant and need 30 to retire.” He budgeted to be done working in two years. Instead, he may still be unemployed in two years. “I could be homeless.”
“The uncertainty is stressful and affects more than just finances; it really impacts your mental health, and unfortunately, not everyone gets the support they need.” — John Muirhead, 28-year Stellantis employee
While the automaker didn’t bother telling its employees about the shift face-to-face, Stellantis Canada President Jeff Hines did appear before the Canadian government. The government offered at least $752 million USD to help with multiple factory retoolings — under the condition that Stellantis keeps its employees working. Now it wants its money back. Hines promised he and the rest of Stellantis “remain committed to our Brampton employees.”
But what does that mean? In the short term, the automaker suggested Muirhead go to work at its Windsor plant across the river from Detroit. It would be a four-hour commute, both ways.
“At this stage, I just want to retire rather than relocate.” But it’s unclear if Hines has any plans to reopen the plant or offer any more “commitment” to Muirhead and his coworkers.
“It would be nice if our corporation would actually be honest and open and tell us straight up what we’re looking at.”
