Unifor members, workers and community rally against Titan Tool & Die

WINDSOR, ON, Sept. 10, 2025 /CNW/ - Unifor members and local and national leaders joined supporters for a rally today outside Titan Tool & Die in Windsor after the company escalated its lockout of the plant's veteran workers, removing equipment and raw materials from its Canadian facility, a move the union says signals production shifting to the U.S.

Unifor rally at Titan Tool & Die (CNW Group/Unifor)

"Shame on Titan Tool and Die for abandoning the very workers who have built this company. Unifor will make sure the entire auto industry community is aware that Titan is not a company who lives up to the commitments it made to its workers," said Unifor National President Lana Payne. "There must be consequences for any company who thinks they can move our jobs to the United States. This fight is in no way over. We are just getting started."

Payne accused the Canadian owners of Titan Tool & Die of using Trump's trade war against Canada to abandon its workers and shift production across the border without political and public backlash.

"This is an attack on Canadian jobs. It is a betrayal of their own workforce, and it's a betrayal of this community. Titan is not being transparent. Workers deserve answers, and we all deserve honesty," said Unifor Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi. "This fight is about more than one plant. This fight is about protecting all Canadian jobs with everything we have."

The rally drew Unifor members from across southwestern Ontario and strong local community support.

"This employer knows where we stand; there will be no rollback of the hard-fought gains achieved. Forcing our members into a lockout in a bid to starve them and their families is nothing short of disgraceful," said Unifor Local 195 President Emile Nabbout.

Randy St. Pierre, Unifor 195 Chairperson, Titan Tool & Die spoke of the betray of trust to workers who scarified to help build the company.

"Here we are — standing on the outside of a company that wouldn't be standing at all without us. They can lock the doors, but they will never lock out our dignity. They will never lock out our strength. And they will never erase the decades of sacrifice and skill that each of us represents, said St. Pierre.

"This isn't just about a paycheck. This is about principle. About respect. About the value of a lifetime of work. We're demanding fairness. Recognition. And a long-overdue return on the loyalty we've shown for decades."

Rally speakers also linked Titan's actions to the recent announcement that liquor giant Diageo plans to close its nearby Crown Royal plant in Amherstburg and move jobs to the U.S.

"Whether it's Titan in Windsor or Diageo in Amherstburg, we're seeing the same story: companies turning their backs on Canadian workers and trying to ship jobs out of the country," said John D'Agnolo, President of Unifor Local 200. "We won't sit back while good union jobs are hollowed out in our communities."

Unifor continues to call on both Diageo to reverse plans to close its Amherstburg plant and on Titan Tool & Die to come clean about its plans for the Windsor plant and immediately return to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair deal that secures Canadian jobs.

"We need our governments to make sure every company who thinks they can relocate our jobs to the United States face consequences -  to make sure there is a price for even thinking of selling out Canadian workers," added Payne.

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

For media inquiries or to arrange interviews please contact Unifor Communications Director Kathleen O'Keefe at [email protected] or by cell at [phone].