A union organizing campaign is underway at an Amazon warehouse in Montreal, a situation the American online retail giant has faced in other of its facilities, but which has resulted in a union victory at a only one of them so far.
The Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN) says workers contacted the union earlier this year and launched an on-site organizing campaign last month, campaigning on health and safety issues, as well as pay, which hovers around $17 or $18 per hour.
If more than 50% of the 250 to 300 employees at the warehouse sign a membership card, the Commission des relations du travail du Québec can certify the union.
CSN vice-president David Bergeron-Cyr says workplace health and safety are among the main drivers behind the initiative, with employees having to lift up to 400 boxes per hour, resulting in unreported injuries. and a lack of compensation for recovery time.
Amazon Canada spokeswoman Ryma Boussoufa said the Seattle-based company does not ” [pensait] not that unions are the best answer” for employees, but that the choice was theirs.
The organizing effort comes as other workers seek to stage a certification vote at a 7,000-employee Amazon packaging plant in Nisku, Alta., and others struggle south of the border to building on their only successful labor campaign, at a New York warehouse last month.
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