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LONDON— Unifor has been notified that Autoneum will gradually wind down and close its London, Ontario facility over the course of 2026. The decision is a devastating blow for Unifor members, their families, and the wider London and regional economies that depend on good union jobs in the auto parts supply chain.
“Our members are losing their jobs through no fault of their own, despite their skills and years of hard work, and that’s exactly what makes this closure so devastating,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Unifor members at Autoneum are added to the growing list of casualties caused by a senseless Trump-initiated trade war that continues to threaten jobs all across Canada. We need to stop the bleeding now and dramatically ramp up the measures needed to protect our jobs, our plants, our communities, all of it.”
Unifor represents 118 workers at the plant, and by the end of 2026, 113 production and five Skilled Trades members are expected to lose their jobs.
Unifor Local 27 members at the London plant manufacture carpets and other interior components that support Canadian and U.S. vehicle assembly programs.
Unifor is working with Autoneum to keep as much work in Canada as possible. The Company intends to consolidate some of the work into its Tillsonburg facility. In addition, Unifor will work to secure enhanced severance packages and extensions of benefits to members affected by the closure.
“Our members have done everything asked of them and they deserve better,” said Leo Vasquez, Unifor Local 27 Plant Chairperson at Autoneum London. “We’re going to use every tool we have, at the table and beyond, to protect as many of these jobs as possible, keep work here in Canada, and secure support measures for every member affected by this closure.”
This closure also underscores the union’s ongoing efforts to press federal and provincial governments to enforce production commitments from automakers, including General Motors and Stellantis. The recent disruptions at major assembly operations including the idling of both GM CAMI in Ingersoll and Stellantis’ Brampton Assembly Plant are putting a growing squeeze on the supply chain.
The union’s Protect Canadian Jobs campaign is focused on an all-hands-on-deck strategy that urgently protects every job in the auto and independent parts supply chain. Unifor is applying pressure on all levels of government to work with the union on industrial strategies that stabilize Canada’s auto footprint, protect good union jobs from assembly through parts and suppliers, secure adequate financial supports for workers impacted by job loss and disruption linked to the U.S. trade and tariff war, and put enforceable measures in place so companies that take public support cannot abandon Canadian jobs without facing meaningful consequences.
