The unionization campaign at the Amazon warehouse in Lachine is already causing a stir. The CSN accuses Amazon of “intimidation” and “interference”, while the American giant speaks of “harassment” by union representatives.
“Several associates have passed on information to us that they have felt harassed and pressured by union organizers to sign union membership cards,” reads a text message sent to all employees at the company. ‘Amazon in Lachine last week, of which Le Journal obtained a copy.
In this message, Amazon encourages employees to report such actions to managers.
The warehouse manager also dedicated his entire May newsletter to the subject of unionization. “We encourage you to ask questions [sur le syndicat] and to obtain all the facts and the truth”, advances the director, Jean-François Héroux.
According to the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN), these practices are “illegal” because it involves interference in the trade union campaign.
Formal notice
“They manage to create fear and lies. The decision to join a union or not rests with the workers. The employer has no right to influence this decision. Amazon, they need to understand that they are not in the United States. They will have to respect the Quebec Labor Code,” argues the vice-president of the CSN, David Bergeron-Cyr.
The union therefore sent a formal notice to summon Amazon to “immediately and irremediably cease all forms of interference and intimidation”.
According to Mr. Bergeron-Cyr, it is “totally false” to claim that union representatives engage in harassment.
“We are not surprised at all. They did that all over the United States. They spread lies to create division among workers,” he argues.
Employee threatened with sanctions
According to our information, an employee deemed to be a key union activist is being investigated by Amazon.
He allegedly violated the company’s non-solicitation policy in addition to spreading false information about other associates or the company.
In addition to these flames with Amazon, Mr. Bergeron-Cyr judges that the campaign “is going well” and that the CSN will be able to file a request with the Administrative Labor Tribunal soon.
“Our campaign has already paid off. They have already improved some worker bonuses [de 1,50 $ et 2 $ de l’heure]. They know that there is dissatisfaction with salaries, ”he says.
No Amazon representative was available to answer our questions yesterday.