GM cuts Oshawa jobs as profits, shares and dividends rise

OSHAWA, ON, Jan. 29, 2026 /CNW/ - Workers at the General Motors Oshawa Assembly Complex will report for the final third shift tomorrow, as the company eliminates more than 700 direct jobs with hundreds of additional jobs lost at supply chain companies. The job cuts come in the same week GM reported more than $12 billion in pre-tax earnings for 2025, along with a plan to boost shareholders earnings through dividend increases and a $6 billion share buyback.

Aerial of GM Oshawa Assembly Complex (CNW Group/Unifor)

"General Motors has made a clear decision to cave to Donald Trump rather than stand up for its loyal Canadian workforce, making the workers in Oshawa pay for that appeasement with their jobs," said Unifor National President Lana Payne. "It is misguided for General Motors to think it can get away with consistently diminishing their production footprint in Canada and still be the number one seller of vehicles in the Canadian marketplace. GM's decision is not only short sighted but fails to recognize the mood of Canadians and Canadian workers."

The Oshawa Plant assembles light and heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado pick-up trucks. After the U.S. imposed an unjust 25% tariff on Canadian-built vehicles, GM publicly ramped up Silverado production in Fort Wayne, Indiana before announcing the elimination of the third shift in Oshawa.

Unifor presented GM with a viable plan to retain the third shift until the union and company enter contract negotiations in the fall of 2026, which the company chose to reject.

"Even in a brutal trade war auto companies can make different decisions," said Payne. "Decisions that respect the contributions and skilled work of Canadian autoworkers. Decisions that show Canadian consumers that these automakers actually care about the market they sell into, by stepping up to protect Canadian jobs and building here."

The Oshawa job loss is the latest blow to the Canadian auto sector in Ontario, with the General Motors CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll and the Stellantis Assembly Plant in Brampton both idled without known product allocation. Unifor continues its demand that the bedrock of the upcoming federal government auto policy be simple: Sell here, build here.

Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing 320,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future. 

SOURCE Unifor

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