Ali Abbas Ahmadi
BBC News
Windsor report, Ontarioali Abbas Ahmadi / BBC
The workers of Ford Kathryn Lawton (L) and Christina Grossi are afraid that the prices can upset their lives
A Lawton has been working in the Canada automotive sector for over a century.
Their children are “fifth generation workers,” said Kathryn Lawton, and her husband are both working for the automaker in Windsor, the heart of Canada’s automotive sector, at a bridge far from the American state of Michigan.
When US President Donald Trump suggested that Canada stole the American automotive industry, Chad Lawton calls it “ridiculous”.
“It was never American jobs. They were Canadian jobs,” the BBC he told Trump’s automotive prices came into force.
“They have always been Canadian jobs, and they will remain Canadian jobs because we haven’t taken them from them. We created them, we supported them.”
Kathryn agreed: “Here is Ford City here.”
Nestled in the southwest of Ontario, Windsor and the surrounding county of Essex is now found on one of the Trump’s trade warfare lines, because it faces a 25% price on foreign manufacturing vehicles (although for Canada, which will be half reduced for cars made with 50% of American or more) or more) as well as 50% prices in imports Steel and aluminum.
The American rates on automotive parts are expected next month.
Ali Abbas Ahmadi / BBC
A wall painting that dates back to the history of the Windsor district around the Ford factory, when it was simply known as “Ford City”
The region of just over 422,000 increased alongside Detroit – nicknamed Motor City for its role as an automotive manufacturing center – transforming the region to an important center for North American automotive production.
Ford established its presence in Windsor for the first time in 1896, while the first Stelllantis factory (then Chrysler) arrived in 1928, with dozens of factories and suppliers who sprang in the city and surrounding in the decades that followed.
A large part of the manufacturing has since left the city, although it still has two Ford engine factories and an assembly plant in Stellantis, which use thousands.
Workers on both sides of the border have built emblematic vehicles over the decades, more recently models such as the Dodge Charger and the Ford F-150.
Some 24,000 people work directly in the automotive industry in Windsor-Essex, while 120,000 other jobs depend on the sector.
A journey through the district around the Ford factory looks like a time trip, presenting classic bungalows from the last century. Many have seen better days, although everyone has a veranda and a small before. Large murals celebrating the history of the city’s automobile punctuate the landscape.
Ali Abbas Ahmadi / BBC
Chad Lawton has been at Ford for 31 years and says that he has never seen a crisis like this
Windsor resisted the challenges of the North American automotive sector alongside Michigan, because industry shares a deeply integrated supply chain.
Chad Lawton highlights the 2008 financial crisis, when the three major American automakers – Ford, General Motors and Chrysler – faced amazing losses, and GM and Chrysler have received billions of American renown to avoid bankruptcy.
This period was “bad, not only for the next door, but we also crossed a very, very difficult time,” he said.
“It looks like the same thing. The level of anxiety with workers, the level of fear, the idea and the belief that it is just something that is so completely out of your control that you cannot wrap what to do.”
John d’Agnolo, president of the Local 200 Unifor section, who represents Ford workers in Windsor, said the situation “had wreaked.”
“I think we will see a recession,” he said.
He continued: “People will not buy anything. I must tell my members to buy nothing. They have to pay the rent and food for their children.”
Ali Abbas Ahmadi / BBC
Windsor residents have a front seat at the front for Detroit and the difficulties of its automotive sector
What makes prices such a hard time to swallow for car workers to which the BBC has spoken is that this situation was caused by the United States, the economic and security ally closest to Canada.
“It seems to be a stab on the back,” said Austin Welzel, 27, worker of the mounting chain in Stellantis. “It’s almost like our neighbors, our friends – they don’t want to work with us.”
Christina Grossi, who has been working at Ford for 25 years, said that the prospect of losing her job, and what it will mean for her family, was “terrifying”.
But Ms. Grossi is also afraid of losing the meaning she receives from her work.
“You have been doing this job for so long and you are really proud of it, you are proud of what you put to the public,” she said. “And now someone takes the opportunity to do so.”
Laura Dawson, executive director of the future Borders Coalition, said that prices could cause major upheavals throughout the sector because of its deep integration, the training effects felt through the continent if Canada exports stop for more than a week.
She said that the structure of American prices is extremely complicated.
The cars crossing the border will need each component to be assessed for the “qualification content” – from where it comes, the cost of the workforce to produce it and – if it contains steel or aluminum – where this metal comes from.
“Each part of an automobile is literally under a microscope for where it was produced and how,” she said.
American prices were a major factor in the general elections of Canada, which is on April 28, Canada’s political parties deploying plans on the campaign track to help the automotive sector.
Liberal leader Mark Carney, the current Prime Minister, is committed to creating a fund of $ 2 billion ($ 1.4 billion; 1.1 billion pounds Sterling) to stimulate competitiveness and protect manufacturing jobs, as well as plans to build a network of auto parts “all in Canada”.
In his role as Prime Minister, he imposed a CS last week of $ 35 billion in counter automobile rates, in addition to the reciprocal measures previously announced in the United States.
Carney’s main rival, the conservative leader Pierre Hairyvre, has promised to remove the sales tax on Canadian vehicles and create a fund for companies affected by prices to help keep their employees.
Jagmeet Singh, whose New Democratic Party on the left is fighting for a competitive headquarters in Windsor, has committed to using each dollar in counters to help workers and prevent manufacturers from moving equipment in the United States.
Ali Abbas Ahmadi / BBC
Many customers of the Van Niforos restaurant work for Stellantis
However, Windsor’s economy depends on car manufacturers and strongly depends on trade with the United States. If there is, everything – restaurants to charity organizations – will feel the effects.
The penalty box is a sports bar just at the bottom of the Stellantis factory road, and popular with workers there.
“We are one of the busiest restaurants. I don’t want to say it, but if you ask yourself questions about the penalty box, they will tell you,” said its 70 -year -old owner, Van Niforos. “We do nearly 1,000 meals a day.”
With a white apron and a large smile, he tells his 33 years of history. But his behavior darkens when he was asked about the threats to which the automotive sector is confronted.
“This is a devastating situation. I don’t want to think about it,” he said.
“We employ 60 people and we are open six days a week. (If something happens to the Stellantis factory), will we be able to keep 60 people at work? Absolutely no.”
Chad Lawton, sitting in his office of the local union, takes a deep inspiration when he contemplates how precarious his life feels.
He does not think that the rates of the counters of Carney help the current situation, arguing that they “just aggravate a very bad situation a little worse”.
He hopes there will be room for commercial negotiations, but said he would be the first to say that Canada “cannot agree and turn around.”
“I have been working for an Ford Motor company for almost 31 years, and I have never seen anything proximity,” he said.
“This includes Covid, because at least with Covid, we knew what we were traits. And there was a certain certainty there.”
“It’s everywhere on the map.”
