A Quebec-based union says it has filed an application to represent hundreds of Amazon.com Inc. workers at a warehouse in the province.
The Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) says it filed an application with the Administrative Labour Tribunal to represent 200 employees at Amazon’s DXT4 warehouse in Laval, Que.
CSN president Caroline Senneville says workers are subject to unhealthy and dangerous working conditions, a hectic pace that has led to workplace injuries and a pay considerably lower than other warehouses in the province.
“People are afraid. They’re living in precarity. A lot of workers come from abroad and don’t know their rights,” said Senneville.
The union, which represents 330,000 workers across a wide array of industries, says the tribunal will now have to ensure the union cards warehouse workers signed represent a majority of staff at the facility.
It also says Amazon has a history of employing tactics like artificially inflating employee lists and hiring new workers to delay or stall unionization.
“We have to get the union recognized by the Ministry of Labour and then the next step is giving the workers of Amazon here a good working contract,” said Senneville, adding that the majority of workers at warehouses have signed union cards.
One year ago, Benoît Dumais used to work at the Laval warehouse. Now, he’s one of the people sporting the union’s colours, even if he left his job.
“I’ve seen people get injured. I’ve seen people get harassed, cry because managers are screaming at them, get followed to the toilets ’cause they can’t take toilet breaks,” he said.
Dumais says not all workers there are aware of their rights, and he wants to fight on behalf of his old co-workers to help them organize and stand up for themselves.
A spokesperson for Amazon told CBC News that the decision to unionize is up to workers.
“Our employees have the choice of whether or not to join a union,” it said in a statement.
In spite of the CSN’s claims about poor working conditions, Amazon said it “already offers what many unions are requesting: safe and inclusive workplaces, competitive pay, health benefits on day one and opportunities for career growth.”
Earlier this month, Unifor filed applications to represent workers at two Amazon warehouses in New Westminster and Delta, B.C.
Shortly after, the union wound up temporarily withdrawing the applications and accusing the e-commerce giant of providing a “suspiciously high” employee count that stymied its efforts.
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