Almost a week after news broke that Stellantis was considering its options regarding the EV battery plant in Windsor, the head of Unifor Local 444 said there has been no movement in talks to save the agreement.
Dave Cassidy said his union was "all over this," but the stalemate between Stellantis and the federal government appears to be ongoing.
Over the weekend, the company said it wanted the federal government to live up to its promises, a pledge to match support in the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, the same incentives Volkswagen will receive for its new plant in St. Thomas.
The Prime Minister expected to meet with the CEO of LG Energy during a state dinner in Seoul, South Korea. Justin Trudeau and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met to discuss economic security and other matters.
"We'll just have to wait and see what the Prime Minister and his ministers have to say when they get back from their trip to Korea," said Cassidy.
Meanwhile, federal ministers are calling on Ontario to step up its contribution. Premier Doug Ford responded, saying his government would go "toe-to-toe with any state," but when it came to talks with Washington, it was on Ottawa to meet the challenge.
It's a high-stakes game, and Cassidy hopes the federal government takes it very seriously.
"I don't want them playing Russian roulette with this," he said, pointing out that Stellantis doesn't make threats.
Cassidy also wonders how other investors view the impasse.
"This is an embarrassment for Canada. This is ridiculous. You know, people say it's just a little bump in the road, but it's a bump in the road that other investors will pay attention to and say, why would I?" Cassidy said.
Cassidy clarified that while construction has stopped at the module plant, it continues on the site of the battery cell plant.
"There are about 500 trades [people] other there today," he said.
For now, Cassidy reassures his members at the Windsor Assembly Plant that Stellantis is not considering pulling up stakes there.
"This is not negatively affecting the assembly plant, their commitment, their investment. This isn't about that. This is about the future," he explained.