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TORONTO — — Ford Motor Co. has indefinitely delayed the startup of a third shift at its Oakville, Ont., assembly plant, leaving 350 people who were expecting to start work next week without a job.
Canadian Auto Workers spokesman Alex Keeney said Ford had already brought about 160 workers in from its Windsor operation, who will stay employed at the Oakville plant.
But the 350 new hires, who were due to start training July 28, have been notified that this is no longer the case, Mr. Keeney said.
The move comes in response to the poor market conditions in the United States, he said.
Ford builds its Edge crossover vehicle, the Lincoln MKX and the Ford Flex, a new boxy crossover, at the suburban Oakville assembly complex.
“As everyone knows, the auto industry faces a crisis right now and they don't want to put people on and be caught in a situation in a month or so where they have to lay them off,” Mr. Keeney said.
“They just don't see the volumes based on where the sales went, especially the last two months in the U.S. market with the high gas prices and the meltdown with the mortgage market,” he said.
Ford has no immediate plans to close any U.S. plants, a person briefed on the company's strategy said.
