Ford to cut 450 more jobs at Oakville assembly plant

Ford Motor Company is cutting hundreds of jobs at its Oakville, Ont., assembly plant, with layoffs set to begin in the new year.

The company confirmed Monday that it is ending production of its Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT models at the facility, resulting in a loss of 450 positions starting in February2020.

A spokesperson said in an email that the company is putting its "focus on products in the heart of the fastest growing segments" of the market.

The impending layoffsare in addition to 200 job cuts Ford first announced in July. The company said at the time that there could be further restructuring at the plant.

Dave Thomas, president of Unifor Local 707, said that Ford has also notified the union it will be eliminating one of three shifts in the plant's auto body shopand reducing assembly line speed.

Layoff notices will be sent out to the most junior 450 employees at the facility in early November, Thomas added.

The models built at the Oakville plant have seen slumping sales in recent years, Thomas said.

"We're in desperate need in Oakville of a new product and we've been communicating that to Ford for some time now. So we're hoping that Ford is going to invest some money, along with the provincial and federal governments," he continued.