OTTAWA, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Unifor, Canada's largest union in the private sector, called for "swift action" on Friday following General Motors' (GM's) announcement that it plans to reduce one assembly plant in Oshawa, Ontario, from a three-shift to a two-shift operation due to tariffs.
The shift cut came on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump's imposition of a 25-percent tariff on Canadian-built vehicles in March, a move that has "chilled the Canadian auto sector," said Unifor in a news release.
"We will not allow GM to barter Canadian jobs to gain Donald Trump's favor. 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 Unifor National President Lana Payne. "GM needs to reverse this short-sighted move before more damage is done."
Unifor urged Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to meet with the heads of major automakers to publicly reaffirm their commitments to Canadian investment and production.
GM was the biggest automaker by sales and market share in Canada in 2024 and the first quarter of 2025. The shift cut is expected to result in more than 2,000 job losses at the plant and at parts suppliers.
Unifor represents 320,000 workers in major areas of the Canadian economy. ■
