Chrysler to extend production stoppages

More than 8,000 workers affected at two plants

TONY VAN ALPHEN |BUSINESS REPORTER | Barmpton - - DaimlerChrysler Canada Inc. is cutting more production in the new year to reduce high inventories.Union officials confirmed yesterday that the company will idle its minivan complex in Windsor for a third week in January and suspend operations at another assembly plant in Brampton for a fourth week in the first quarter.In Brampton, the company had indicated earlier it would halt output of the Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum and Charger models during the weeks of Jan. 29, Feb. 19 and March 12 but now it is adding the week of Jan. 22.In Windsor, the auto maker had scheduled the first two weeks of January for maintenance and preparation for producing a new generation of minivans during the summer.But Ken Lewenza, president of Canadian Auto Workers Local 444, said the plant will also remain down during the week of Jan. 15."They need to get rid of the extra inventory," said Lewenza.The two plants are also idle during the last week of this month because of the holiday season.The stoppages will affect about 5,000 workers in Windsor and another 3,600 in Brampton.During the production shutdowns, workers will collect about 70 per cent of their gross pay through a combination of federal employment benefits and company supplementary unemployment funds. Chrysler Group, the company's Detroit parent, is also extending stoppages early in the new year at plants in Detroit, Warren, Mich., St. Louis, Mo. and Newark, Del.