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WINDSOR, ON—Unifor members locked out by Titan Tool & Die are marking 300 days on the picket line, as the company still refuses to pay severance to the workers, months after declaring a plant closure.
“These workers have been on that picket line for 300 days and they have not wavered once,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Our members aren’t just fighting for themselves, they’re fighting for the collective bargaining rights of every worker in this country. Titan Tool & Die made a calculated decision to abandon these workers and walk away from its obligations and we intend to hold them accountable for that decision.”
On July 17, 2025, just four days before collective bargaining began, Titan Tool & Die began to move equipment, tools, materials and parts from the plant to non-unionized subsidiaries including its facility in the United States.
By mid-July the plant had been effectively emptied. After less than three weeks of negotiations, talks stalled on August 8 and the company locked out its workers on August 11.
The union alleges the company locked out its Windsor workers to abandon the facility entirely while avoiding its legal obligation to pay severance to a highly-skilled, experienced and dedicated workforce that has given the company between 30 and 40 years of service.
The company's conduct since the lockout began has only deepened union concerns. In January 2026, Titan notified the union it had ceased operations and would close the facility. Weeks later, the union observed the company operating the plant with scabs. Titan Tool & Die has paid no severance to workers whose average age is 59, and who have spent the better part of their working lives building the company. Unifor continues to assert the company has bargained in bad faith in both trying to reach a new collective agreement and now trying to reach a closure agreement.
“Every one of our members helped build Titan Tool & Die. They stuck around for decades, through tough economic times, and endured hardships because they believed in this company. That loyalty should be rewarded, not punished,” said Emile Nabbout, President of Unifor Local 195. “If a company wants to close shop, they have to pay workers what they’re owed. If a company wants to keep operating, they have to negotiate a contract. Titan has to choose one or the other. Our members will be on the picket line every single day until this dispute is resolved.”
Unifor and Titan Tool & Die are set to appear before the Ontario Labour Relations Board on June 9.
