No concern needed about CEO replacement at Fiat Chrysler, says Unifor

Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne was expected to step down, but no one expect it to be this early.

Marchionne, 66, was reported to have had surgery for a shoulder problem about three weeks ago in Switzerland. Over the weekend, FCA announced in a news release that there were "unexpected complications" that arose while he was recovering.

"As a consequence, Mr. Marchionne will be unable to return to work," the statement says.

Marchionne joined Fiat in 2004 and he has been known for leading the company in a profitable direction. He originally announced he will be stepping down in early 2019, but his poor health had pushed his retirement early.

"I'm shocked," said Jerry Dias, national president at Unifor.

He said Marchionne had fought for the operation in Canada. However, even though losing a top executive is a startling change, Dias says the future in Windsor and Brampton will be fine.

"They invested about $2.6 billion just a few years ago, so clearly, the company is going to utilize their investment," he said.

"And they've made strong overtures to the stability in Brampton, so I'm very confident that there's not going to be any sort of a negative impact here."

'Everyone there knows him'

Dias thinks Marchionne's replacement, Mike Manley, is a good fit as well.

Manley is known for having collaborated closely with Marchionne in the company and under his watch, the Jeep sales have drastically increased.

The director at the Office of Automotive Research at University of Windsor, Tony Faria, said Manley isn't a surprising choice.

"He is a long-time top executive at Fiat Chrysler, will probably step into the leadership position very seamlessly," Faria said. "Everyone there knows him. Everyone in the auto industry knows him."

However, following Marchionne will be difficult. Faria said the former CEO was highly successful and and all-star among executives in the industry. Manley is more laid back and quiet in comparison.

And in Windsor, Manley doesn't have the same ties to the community as Marchionne does.

"[Marchionne] lived here for many years while he went through the undergraduate and graduate programs at the University of Windsor," said Faria. "He likes this community really well. He's given back to this community really well."

But Dias and Faria both maintain faith that the sudden personnel change won't affect the assembly plants and there is no reason for workers to be concerned.

"I see our operations as being strong and stable, not just for the short-term, but specifically for the long-term," said Dias.