Final Might, about 230 staff at an Amazon warehouse in Laval, Que., efficiently unionized — a historic first in Canada on the retail big.
The CSN, the union that represents the employees in Laval, said workers had been dissatisfied with what they described as a busy work tempo, low wages and insufficient well being and security measures.
Amazon has solely one other unionized workforce in North America, in Staten Island, N.Y. It was licensed in 2022 however nonetheless would not have a contract.
In Quebec, the province’s stronger labour legal guidelines would have quickly compelled the 2 events to barter a collective settlement or might have imposed arbitration on them in the event that they did not attain a deal, specialists mentioned.
“I believe basically what’s taking place right here is that the clock was ticking down on a primary collective settlement,” mentioned Adam King, an assistant professor within the labour research program on the College of Manitoba.
“Amazon had tried to contest the certification of this bargaining unit in Quebec and misplaced.”
A collective bargaining settlement might have led to the union increasing to different services within the province, King urged.
That will not occur anymore, now that Amazon has introduced it should shut all seven of its services in Quebec, lay off 1,700 everlasting staff and outsource its work to third-party corporations. The choice comes after a period of rapid expansion; the primary facility within the province opened in July 2020.
Amazon declined an interview for this story.
In an announcement, a spokesperson maintained the choice was about lowering prices.
“This choice is about providing the very best service we are able to to clients in a approach that is environment friendly and value efficient,” spokesperson Steve Kelly mentioned in an electronic mail.
“We have been utilizing third-party carriers in Quebec for a few years. Returning to a well-tested third-party solely mannequin will enable us to offer the identical nice service and much more financial savings to our clients over the long term.”
The Walmart case
The Amazon case recollects one other dispute 20 years in the past in Quebec involving Walmart Canada. In 2004, that firm closed a retailer in Jonquière, Que., citing profitability troubles simply months after staff achieved union certification. Unifor, the union representing the employees, challenged the transfer.
In 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada found the corporate defied Quebec labour regulation when it shut down after unionization.
Amazon introduced Wednesday that it’s going to shut down all seven of its services within the province within the coming weeks, insisting the choice was tied to price financial savings and never a brand new union at its Laval warehouse.
Barry Eidlin, an affiliate professor of sociology at McGill College, mentioned Amazon shutting down solely its Laval warehouse would have been a transparent violation of Quebec labour regulation, following the 2014 choice.
It might have been “a unilateral change in working circumstances within the interval the place they’re imagined to be collective bargaining,” mentioned Eidlin.
Nonetheless, specialists mentioned the CSN is prone to problem Amazon in court docket. “It is their best choice at this level to file an unfair labour follow and see the place it goes,” mentioned King.
A ‘nightmare’ and ‘devastating’
The CSN mentioned the transfer was “opposite to the provisions of the Labour Code, and one that we are going to firmly oppose.”
The Amazon services are to be closed over the subsequent two months. Alexandre Campeau, an Amazon supply driver based mostly in Lachine, mentioned dropping his job is “a nightmare” and “devastating.”
“I’ll most likely be capable to get one other job however I will not be on the identical wage that I used to be proper now,” he mentioned. “Within the meantime, I’ve automobile funds, everyone has households and other people to care for.”
Amazon grew to become a $2 trillion firm final yr, with services and hundreds of staff throughout Canada. It has lengthy been a goal for unions that say the corporate’s emphasis on ever-faster velocity and effectivity can result in accidents.
Late final yr, staff at seven places within the U.S. went on strike, complaining of poor working circumstances.
“There’s these upticks in labour militancy that have not been seen in a long time, however they’re operating up towards these company behemoths like Amazon …. they usually’re actually digging of their heels,” Eidlin mentioned.
Following Amazon’s choice to shut its Quebec services, some have vowed to cease buying with the corporate in protest, return latest purchases and cancel their accounts.
Unifor utilized for union certification at a warehouse in Delta, B.C. final yr. The outcomes of that vote are sealed as a consequence of an unfair labour practices criticism the union filed, which alleges Amazon ramped up hiring to attempt to dilute union assist.
In Quebec, an Administrative Labour Tribunal decide additionally ordered Amazon final yr to cease interfering with union affairs at one other Quebec facility in Lachine.
Amazon was ordered to pay a complete of $30,000 in ethical and punitive damages. In King’s view, the rise of personal corporations similar to Amazon represents an existential query for the labour motion.
“It performs a central position in e-commerce and it is actually remodeled the warehousing and logistics sector by pulling the requirements down, pulling the wage charges down,” he mentioned.
“I believe unions are actually treating this as a critical problem and attempting to determine how they will make inroads with this firm, and there are questions right here too about how governments will in the end reply to this.”
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