Stellantis Worker With 28 Years at Brampton Plant Learns Indefinite Layoff Through Robocall

A Stellantis employee with nearly three decades at the company is facing an uncertain future after learning through an automated phone call that his temporary layoff had been extended indefinitely. The situation unfolded at the automaker’s Brampton, Ontario, assembly plant, where thousands of workers were initially told they would be off the job for only a short period.

John Muirhead has worked at the Brampton plant for 28 years. Stellantis previously announced the facility would be taken offline for eight weeks to undergo retooling in preparation for production of a new electric Jeep Compass. As part of that plan, approximately 3,200 employees were laid off temporarily, with expectations that work would resume once the retooling was complete.

While waiting to return, Muirhead received an automated phone call informing him that the layoff would no longer be temporary. Stellantis has since decided to shift Jeep Compass production to an Illinois facility in an effort to avoid tariffs. As a result, the Brampton plant has no scheduled reopening date, and the layoffs have been extended indefinitely.

The change has placed significant financial and personal strain on longtime employees who had planned their futures around the original timeline. Muirhead had been preparing to retire after reaching 30 years of service and had budgeted to work for two more years. Instead, he now faces the possibility of prolonged unemployment with no clear path back to the plant.

Stellantis did not notify workers of the production shift in person. However, Stellantis Canada President Jeff Hines later appeared before the Canadian government, which had previously offered at least $752 million in U.S. dollars to support multiple factory retoolings. That funding was contingent on maintaining employment levels, and government officials are now seeking repayment. Hines has stated that the company remains committed to Brampton employees, though no specific plans have been outlined.

In the short term, Stellantis suggested affected workers seek employment at its Windsor plant near Detroit. For Muirhead, that option would involve a four-hour commute each way, making relocation or daily travel impractical.

With no clear timeline for reopening the Brampton plant, workers remain in limbo, waiting for clarity on whether their jobs will return or if their careers with the automaker have quietly come to an end.