Ford workers currently laid off in Windsor will be offered jobs in Oakville in the new year.

The automaker is adding a third line at its assembly plant there. It will create as many as 400 new jobs.

Chris Taylor is president of CAW Local 200, which represents Ford workers in Windsor. He said there are 665 employees on layoff locally.

They and 220 laid off workers in St. Thomas will be offered the positions. Whoever Landing a job in Oakville will be based on seniority.

Taylor said there are more than 100 workers in St. Thomas who have higher seniority than laid off employees in Windsor.

He said the workers will have until Dec. 14 to make their decisions.

"By seniority they're going to offer those 400 jobs from seniority up so the most senior person on the list combined will have the first opportunity at those 400 jobs," Taylor explained.

He said information meetings for laid off workers will be held Dec. 10 and 11 at the union hall on Turner Road.

Ford says it expects the third shift to start in the first quarter of next year.

The addition of the third shift was part of a recent deal with the Canadian Auto Workers union.