The 200 workers at the Amazon warehouse in Laval have succeeded where many other employees of the American multinational have failed: they are now unionized.
According to the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), the Administrative Labor Tribunal accredited the Amazon Laval-CSN Workers’ Union last Friday, making workers at the DXT4 warehouse the first of their kind to unionize in Canada.
Following a request filed in April by the CSN to have the union recognized, the court ruled that the majority of warehouse employees chose to join their union in order to begin negotiations leading to a first collective agreement.
With the union now accredited, Amazon has a legal obligation to negotiate a collective employment contract with warehouse employees, welcomed the CSN.
CSN President Caroline Senneville presented Friday’s decision as a “very big victory” for warehouse workers, many of whom are from places like Latin America, Chad, the Maghreb and the Asia, “who were not afraid to stand up to have their rights respected”.
“It’s a lesson in courage that the employees of DXT4 have just demonstrated. We obviously hope that it will snowball,” said M.me Senneville in a press release.
Amazon disputes
An Amazon spokesperson, Barbara Agrait, indicated in an email that the company would contest the verdict of the Administrative Labor Court.
She said the company was challenging card certification, which allows a union to be certified without a vote if a majority of workers in the workplace sign a union card. Not all provinces practice card check accreditation, but Quebec and British Columbia are among those that do.
“We believe that everyone should have the right to be informed and to vote based on their current situation and their beliefs, as is the case with any other type of election,” declared Mr.me Agrait.
A first general meeting of the union will be held in the coming days. A consultation process will then take place to survey members about their demands regarding the first collective agreement.