Canadian auto companies implement mandatory vaccination policy for workers

Nearly 4,500 workers at Windsor Assembly Plant under Stellantis, plus nearly 1,500 more with the city’s two Ford engine assembly plants will have until mid-December to receive a COVID-19 vaccination or face likely termination.

Major automakers on Thursday in tandem released new mandatory vaccination policies for their employees across Canada, calling for compliance by December 17.

“Our expectation is that everyone be fully vaccinated by December 17,” said Lou Ann Gosselin, spokeswoman for Stellantis, which overall has nearly 10,000 Canadian employees. “Consequences for non-compliance can be severe, including and not limited to termination of employment.”

Individual employees “might qualify for medical or religious exemptions,” but their situation will be closely examined by the company on a “case-by-case basis,” she said.

Windsor Assembly Plant is the city’s largest private corporate employer.

Gosselin indicated the policy is a non-factor for a “large majority” of employees at the plant who are already fully vaccinated, although she did not have an exact percentage.

Unifor National President Jerry Dias on Thursday said he was not consulted by the auto companies, but simply given notice the new vaccination policy was coming.

It has been thoroughly reviewed by the union’s lawyers, who indicated there is no recourse available for any employee who chooses not to comply and ends up losing their job, he said.

“The bottom line is I’m not going to mislead people and say you’re going to be fine,” Dias said. “I’m going to tell people make your choice. I’m going to be honest with people and say if you refuse to be vaccinated under company policy you are putting your job in peril. I’m not going to create false hope when it doesn’t exist.”

He guessed somewhere around 90 per cent of Unifor members working in auto plants impacted by the policy have already been vaccinated. GM Canada is also among those introducing mandatory vaccination for auto workers by mid-December.

“It’s not for me to say whether this is right or wrong,” Dias said. “What our lawyers are telling us is the policy will be upheld legally so our members need to know that.”

But Unifor Local 444 President Dave Cassidy seemed to contradict Dias to some degree afterwards on Thursday.

I’m going to tell people make your choice. I’m not going to create false hope when it doesn’t exist.

Jerry Dias, Unifor president

“I am no lawyer, I am no doctor, I am the president of this local and our executives, committees and reps of this local will be representing EVERYBODY on this issue,” he posted on Twitter.

He added in the video how there was already a “lot of anxiety” among auto plant employees following the policy announcement with some already messaging him they were “packing it in” if forced to be vaccinated.

Cassidy suggested the local would go through the grievance process on behalf of any employer that gets fired. “It hasn’t been tested and we will go through the process,” he said. “If an arbitrator rules against this, be aware you will stay terminated.”

Meanwhile, Dias indicated 425 workers employed as Unifor administrative staff connected with its national headquarters are facing the same policy and must be fully vaccinated before a planned full return to office work scheduled to start occurring in November.

“People want to go to work feeling safe,” Dias said. “People feel uncomfortable working next to someone unvaccinated. You have a vocal minority, but an overwhelming majority (who support mandatory vaccination). If you are unvaccinated you won’t be in the (Unifor) workplace.”

To date, no automotive parts or supply companies in the Windsor area with Unifor members as employees have indicated they intend to follow suit with mandatory vaccination policies that he was aware of — although that may also soon occur, Dias said.