A group of disgruntled workers who took over a recently closed auto-parts supply company in Windsor, Ont., on Tuesday ended their siege Wednesday afternoon after reaching a deal that gives 80 laid-off employees severance and back pay.

The Canadian Auto Workers Union, which represents workers at the closed Aradco plant, held a rally there Wednesday. CAW president Ken Lewenza, speaking at the rally, told some 400 supporters a deal "in principle" had been reached.

About a dozen workers took over the Aradco facility Tuesday night. The plant takeover is the latest twist in a saga that has been brewing since two auto plants in the area shut down early last week.

The dozen workers had welded the doors shut from the inside, and said they would not leave until they got what they were owed.

Work at the Aradco plant stopped last week because of a dispute between the plant owners and Chrysler, which has mused publicly about pulling out of its Canadian operations unless unionized workers make substantial concessions.

Workers to vote on deal Thursday

Speaking of the deal, Lewenza told a cheering crowd that "where we are today is 10 times farther than we ever were and than we'd ever get."

No further details of the deal were available, but they will be provided Thursday morning when workers are due to vote on the agreement, the CAW said.

The CAW has said Aradco workers are owed severance, vacation and termination pay totalling $1.7 million.

The plant's owner, Catalina Precision Products Ltd., has offered the workers four weeks of severance pay — or about $200,000 in total for all 80 workers.

Union head says plant takeover was last option

The plant builds parts for Chrysler.

Since last week, Chrysler had been trying to go in and collect parts and tools it said belonged to the company, but the workers were not allowing it. They blocked trucks from coming on to the property.

Union representatives said the workers feared that if the tools and parts were removed, they would have no negotiating power.

"Some of the workers here have decided to take over the plant. That's the only thing they have in order to try to get the monies that are owing to them," Gerry Farnham, president of the CAW local representing the workers, said during the siege.