OSHAWA — Union leaders at General Motors’ Oshawa Assembly Plant are accusing the automaker of bending to political pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump after GM announced the elimination of its third production shift, a move expected to cost 700 Canadian workers their jobs this fall.
In a strongly worded update issued Friday, Unifor Local 222 slammed GM’s decision to shift production from Oshawa to Fort Wayne, Indiana, calling it an attempt to curry favor with the White House amid rising trade tensions. “General Motors is one of the most powerful companies in North America and is appeasing Donald Trump on the backs of its members,” said Local 222 Chair Chris Waugh. “I immediately reminded the company that Unifor’s Oshawa membership is GM’s most highly skilled, committed workforce in the corporation.”
Waugh and fellow union officials pointed to the recent rapid launch of the Silverado ZR2 HD — completed in a fraction of the time and cost originally projected — as a testament to the plant’s efficiency and dedication.
GM Canada confirmed on Friday that it would scale back its truck production in Oshawa, reducing annual output by approximately 48,000 units. The cuts will coincide with a transfer of that production volume to the Fort Wayne facility in Indiana, which will see a corresponding increase in output.
The company blamed the reduction on shifting demand and on financial strain from Trump’s latest tariffs on Canadian and Mexican-made autos, which GM estimates could cost the company up to $5 billion. While the U.S. administration has backed off its earlier threat of imposing 25 percent tariffs on Canadian-made auto parts that comply with the USMCA, tariffs on Canadian-assembled cars headed for U.S. markets remain in place.
The announcement was delivered to Oshawa workers inside the plant just after 6:00 a.m. Friday morning, triggering immediate backlash from union leadership and workers alike. Unifor President Lana Payne called the move “reckless” and warned that the layoffs would create shockwaves throughout the auto parts supply chain. “We will not allow GM to barter Canadian jobs to gain Donald Trump’s favour,” said Payne. “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.”
GM responded in an emailed statement, claiming the decision was based on evolving market conditions and reaffirming its long-term commitment to Canada. “GM’s Oshawa Assembly will return to a two-shift operation in light of forecasted demand and the evolving trade environment,” the statement read. “These changes will help support a sustainable manufacturing footprint as GM reorients the Oshawa plant to build more trucks in Canada for Canadian customers.”
The automaker emphasized that it has been building vehicles in Canada since 1918 and pledged to continue manufacturing for “another 100-plus years.”
Union meetings with GM leadership are ongoing, and Local 222 vowed to provide regular updates to its membership as talks continue. “The Local 222 in-plant committee, along with support from the national union, are fighting this decision,” Waugh confirmed.