Amazon closures a ‘slap in the face’ to Quebec workers, union says

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Amazon announced Wednesday that it will close all of its warehouses in Quebec and lay off about 1,700 full-time employees — a move that the union representing workers at the e-commerce giant’s only unionized Canadian facility called a “slap in the face” to all workers in Quebec.

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“After a recent review of our operations in Quebec, we saw that returning to a third-party delivery model supported by local small businesses, similar to what we had until 2020, would allow us to offer the same great service and even more savings,” said Amazon spokeswoman Barbara Agrete. “This decision was not made lightly, and we are offering affected employees a package that includes up to 14 weeks of pay after facilities close and transitional benefits, such as employment resources,” in an emailed statement.

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Amazon opened its first warehouse in Quebec in 2020, expanding to a total of seven facilities in the province: one fulfillment centre, two sortation centres, three delivery centres, and one AMXL fulfillment center that handles large and heavy items.

The closures will also affect about 250 temporary seasonal employees whose contracts have already set expiration dates. Amazon said temporary seasonal employees will be compensated until the last day of their contract.

Amazon employs more than 46,000 full- and part-time workers across Canada at its warehouses, technology centers and corporate offices, according to its website.

The DXT4 warehouse in Laval is Amazon’s only unionized facility in Canada and received certification in May after two years of organizing with the Confédération des Syndicats nationales (CSN). Since July, the union has been working to negotiate a collective agreement.

CSN said in a statement that it learned of the closures Wednesday morning via email from an Amazon attorney, and that “there is no doubt that the closures announced today are part of an anti-union campaign against CSN and against Amazon employees.” “

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CSN President Caroline Sinville said in an interview that the union’s view is that the closures are intended to “intimidate” workers who want to join the union.

“The message Amazon is sending is: ‘We love you as customers, but we will not respect your rights as citizens. “Your money is good enough for us, but not your labor laws,” she said.

Workers are still processing the shock of losing their jobs, and CSN will support its members and explore its legal options in the coming weeks, Sainville said.

“We will make sure we give them every penny they are owed, and then we will hold workshops and try to help them find other jobs,” she said. “I can also tell you that our legal department is there to see what can be done.”

Information provided by an Amazon spokesperson said that the decision to return to third-party operations is based on the ability to provide the same service at a lower cost. The third-party model is for delivery only, and orders from Quebec customers will be fulfilled through warehouses in Canada and the United States, they said.

Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Delta, B.C., also voted to unionize last May, a process still underway as Unifor holds case management meetings with the British Columbia Labor Relations Board, said Justin Gnebowski, Unifor’s director of organizing.

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“People are looking for meaningful pay. They’re not asking for the moon,” he said. “They’re demanding a reasonable pay increase that they can count on year after year, which a collective agreement can get them, and they’re demanding things like work-life balance and scheduling that can meet their needs.” “…

Adam King, an associate professor in the labor program at the University of Manitoba, said Canada’s provincial labor laws are “a little stronger,” especially in Quebec and British Columbia, compared to the federal framework in the United States, where Amazon has been accused of trying to obstruct unionization efforts.

“Some of the things that Amazon is widely known to do, they can’t do in Canada and especially in Quebec,” he said. “For example, in the United States, they force workers into what are called captive audience meetings, where they force them to attend these mandatory meetings where they tell them all the things that are wrong with unions and why they shouldn’t. You can’t do that in Canada.”

King said it is a “mischaracterization” to say that Amazon will close its operations in Quebec, when it is changing its business model.

“They’re not closing down their business in Quebec and giving up all that revenue and profit. They still want those Canadian dollars,” he said.

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