Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV is cutting about 1,500 jobs at a factory in Canada that’s scaling back production due to slowing minivan sales.
The Italian-American automaker plans to eliminate the third shift at its assembly plant in Windsor, Ontario, beginning Sept. 30, according to an emailed statement. The company produces Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans at the facility, which employed more than 6,100 workers as of January.
“This is devastating for the city of Windsor,” David Cassidy, head of the Local 444 branch of Unifor, Canada’s auto union, told reporters at a press conference aired by public broadcaster CBC.
Fiat Chrysler’s indefinite layoffs are a fresh blow to an already struggling Canadian auto industry. General Motors Co. announced in November it has no future product planned for its factory in Oshawa, Ontario. The plant, which employs about 2,600 assembly workers and has produced cars for more than half a century, may shut down as GM discontinues the Chevrolet Impala and Cadillac XTS sedans.
By Chester Dawson
