Hundreds of workers laid off at Ingersoll, Ont. assembly plant as GM halts production
The General Motors's CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll, Ont., will shut down next month with plans to re-open in the fall at half capacity.
The company said in a statement Friday that production is coming to halt as a direct result of the market, and available inventory to build the BrightDrop electric delivery vehicles manufactured at the plant.
"CAMI is making operational and employment adjustments to balance inventory and align production schedules with current demand," GM said in a statement.
"GM remains committed to the future of BrightDrop and the CAMI plant and will support employees through the transition."
Two models of the BrightDrop Zevo are made on site, and sales have lagged behind the competition with numbers released by GM showing a total of 427 vehicles sold in Canada in 2024, and 1,529 in the United States.
The news follows the temporary closure of Stellantis's Windsor Assembly Plant in Windsor, Ont., which was announced in early April, following the imposition of U.S. auto tariffs.
The CAMI plant employs approximately 1,200 workers with the Unifor union saying Friday that layoffs will start Monday, with some production continuing into May.
After that, production will stop October 2025, the union said in a statement.
"When production resumes in October, the plant will operate on a single shift for the foreseeable future – a reduction that is expected to result in the indefinite layoff of nearly 500 workers," the statement read.
"Our members have endured so much — from retooling disruptions to months of rotating layoffs — and now they're facing a major production slowdown and job loss," said Unifor Local 88 CAMI Plant Chairperson Mike Van Boekel.
"Global demand for last-mile delivery vehicles is only growing. Our members have the skill, the experience, and the pride to build world-class electric vehicles right here in Canada — all we need is the opportunity to keep doing it."
More to come.
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