Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union, has recently negotiated collective agreements with Ford and General Motors for its members in the automotive sector. Now it is negotiating with Stellantis.

So, what is Stellantis?

The simple answer, from a North American perspective, is Stellantis is the company that owns Chrysler, which is one of the Big Three U.S. automotive companies. Stellantis is based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

But Stellantis is a relatively new name in the auto world, having officially formed only in 2021, so how did it get to become the world’s fourth largest car company, by sales volume? For that answer, let’s explore the company’s history.

Brief history

Chrysler came into being back in 1925, but for a long time it was part of the Daimler-Benz group, later called DaimlerChrysler. However, the Daimler and Chrysler companies separated in 2007 and the Chrysler Group operated on its own for a few years until it was acquired by Italy’s Fiat in 2014. The new combined company was called Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).

The new corporation controlled the Chrysler Group, maker of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram-branded vehicles, and Fiat S.p.A., maker of Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Lancia and Maserati-branded vehicles.

The evolution of the company didn’t stop there. FCA and the PSA Group, maker of Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhall brands, began merger talks in 2019, according to media reports. The merger between PSA Group and FCA became official in January 2021.

Stellantis is now the maker of 14 brands.

Canadian negotiations

Unifor is now negotiating its next collective agreement with Stellantis, which operates assembly plants in Windsor, Brampton and Mississauga, as well as a casting plant in Etobicoke, all of which are in southern Ontario, as well as Alberta’s Red Deer parts distribution centre.

Unifor represents more than 8,000 workers in those facilities.