Aerial view of GM Oshawa Assembly Plant (CNW Group/Unifor)
U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff strategy to shift automotive manufacturing from Canada back to the United States appears to be working, with Unifor calling for swift action after General Motors announced it would reduce shifts at its Oshawa Assembly plant in Ontario.
GM will reduce activity from a three-shift to a two-shift operation this fall. Unifor said the OEM cited Trump’s imposed tariffs as the reason. The news comes on the heels of Trump’s 25 per cent tariff on Canadian-built vehicles in March, which Unifor said has chilled the Canadian auto sector.
“We will not allow GM to barter Canadian jobs to gain Donald Trump’s favour. Cutting the third shift at Oshawa Assembly is a reckless decision that deals a direct blow to our members and threatens to ripple through the entire auto parts supplier network,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President, in a statement.
She added that GM needs to reverse its move before more damage is done. Payne also called the move premature and disrespectful, “jumping the gun before Prime Minister Carney and President Trump even begin their talks on a new economic deal.”
GM’s Oshawa plant assembles light- and heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado pick-up trucks for the North American market. Vehicles are also assembled at factories in the United States and Mexico. GM may reduce Oshawa truck exports to the U.S. and recalibrate the plant for Canadian sales as of the fall. According to Unifor, the OEM produced 151,000 vehicles in Canada last year but sold nearly 300,000 – vehicles mostly imported from factories in the U.S.
