Chrysler announced late last week that it will be keeping a third shift at its Windsor, Ontario minivan plant. The plant – which builds the Chrysler Town & Country , Dodge Grand Caravan and Volkswagen Routan – was previously scheduled to go from three to two shifts in the coming weeks.
Chrysler decided to retain the third shift at the Windsor plant after sales of the three minivans saw a recent market uptick. Sales are expecting to increase through the second half of the year as the North American sales rebound from near-record lows.
The decision to keep the third shift will save about 1,200 jobs in the Windsor area, according to the Canadian Auto Workers. That’s good news for the citizens of Windsor as the area has been one of the hardest hit by the economic downturn, with unemployment rates hovering around 14 percent.
“It’s great news for 1,200 CAW Local 444 members out at the Chrysler plant and obviously the spinoff jobs that come with it,” CAW President Ken Lewenza told Reuters.
“Obviously, it’s a strong message from Chrysler that they plan to maintain their market share lead in the minivan segment.”
The Windsor plant employs about 4,450 hourly workers in total.
