Locked-out Titan Tool and Die workers unanimously reject contract offer

Locked out Titan Tool and Die workers participate in a Unifor rally on Sept. 10, 2025. (Michelle Maluske/CTV Windsor)

Workers at Titan Tool and Die in Windsor remain locked out after unanimously voting against a contract on Tuesday.

In a member meeting on Tuesday afternoon, Unifor Local 195 briefed workers on the company’s most recent offer and recent legal matters.

While the union’s bargaining team had previously rejected the offer, Emile Nabbout, the local president, told reporters they wanted workers’ input to solidify their position.

“This employer continues saying ‘maybe some of the members [are] willing to take some of those concessions,’ so we tested the floor today, and we got a 100 per cent mandate from the members that concession is not an option,” Nabbout said.

A 15-page list of concessions includes a freeze on wages, rollbacks of benefits, the elimination of retiree benefits and changes to pensions, Nabbout said.

Normally, during negotiations, Nabbout said, they do not share information with members until a tentative deal has been reached.

“We are at a stalemate with the employer; we will continue trying to find a way to engage with them in the hope that the company changes their position,” he said.

Titan Tool and Die locked out workers on Aug. 11.

While the union represents about 60 members, all but 27 are currently laid off.

Union members previously attempted to stop trucks from moving equipment and products in and out of the company’s facilities.

Lawyers for the company have received injunctions in Superior Court this year barring blockades at Titan Tool and Die’s main gates, their secondary exit (2801 Howard Avenue), and Futura (305 Charles Street), a subsidiary of Titan.

“So we believe that the justice system is not here to serve the needs of the working-class people, and in this particular case, it would be Titan and Tool members, and something needs to be done,” Nabbout said, calling on the government for support.

The union is calling on the company to return to the bargaining table with a “reasonable” offer that does not include sweeping concessions. In the meantime, Nabbout said members will return to the picket line until a contract is secured.