New Delhi: Automaker, Fiat Chrysler (FCA) will be investing $262 million at its Windsor, Ontario, assembly plant for a future product, as per a media report.
The president of the Unifor union, Jerry Dias expressed his views after a meeting with FCA executives and stated that he is “not optimistic” the factory’s third production shift can be saved.
According to the report, Dias also said that investment indicates FCA’s commitment to the minivan plant.
The meeting took place three weeks after the carmaker announced that it would cut the third shift at the Windsor Assembly Plant by September 30 due to weakening sales of Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans . This would further lead to 1500 jobs cut.
The investment may not be able to save the third shift at the plant, the report mentioned. The union and FCA will further discuss possible solutions for all the jobs cut. This includes a job-sharing program involving FCA and with the federal government.
Dias further stressed that FCA understands the difficulty of taking off a third shift and they would keep people at work as long as they can.
It was reported in March that FCA was expected to begin retooling its Windsor minivan plant in Canada, however, it is not clear if the investment is for retooling project or an entirely new future product.
As per Joe McCabe, CEO of U.S.-based AutoForecast Solutions, FCA plans to replace the Dodge Grand Caravan with another entry-level minivan bearing the resurrected Voyager nameplate. It would be produced in Windsor on the Pacifica platform.