Employer will ‘continue to pursue' case, says spokesperson
A labour tribunal in Quebec has dismissed a challenge by Amazon to the unionization of workers at its warehouse in a Montreal suburb.
Quebec's Tribunal administratif du travail/Administrative Labour Tribunal (TAT) rejected the e-commerce giant’s challenge, saying that there is no solid basis for the claim against the unionization of workers in the Laval warehouse.
“On their face, the reasons that Amazon puts forward for attempting to overturn the accreditation decision are based on simple suspicions, suppositions or hearsay,” writes judge Irène Zaïkoff in her decision in French, according to the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN).
The TAT also rejected Amazon’s request for revocation of the accreditation decision that the labour tribunal issued following the warehouse employees' request for unionization.
In May, workers at Amazon’s Laval were allowed to unionize. The about 200 workers at the DXT4 warehouse are the first Amazon employees in Canada to be approved for unionization after the Quebec Administrative Labour Tribunal’s decision.
“We are very satisfied with this decision,” said CSN President Caroline Senneville in French, according to the union. “Judge Zaïkoff’s words are very clear: the freedom of association of workers only concerns them. Amazon cannot interfere with this constitutional right to unionize.”
Amazon vows to continue fight against unionization
But the fight against unionization at the Laval warehouse has not ended, as far as Amazon is concerned.
"While we're disappointed by the tribunal's decision, we'll continue to pursue our case," Amazon spokesperson Barbara Agrait said in a statement, according to a report from The Canadian Press (CP) posted on CTV News.
"As we've said from the beginning, card check auto-certification does not allow for employees to have their voices heard."
Senneville, meanwhile, said that Amazon must abide by the rules in Quebec as the company operates there.
“It is distressing to see Amazon multiplying tactics to prevent the unionization of its employees,” she said in French, according to CSN.
“This is the second time in a few months that the Court has dismissed Amazon. The multinational must understand that if it wants to do business in Quebec, it must respect Quebec laws and institutions. And if this is not natural in Jeff Bezos' empire, the CSN will be there to assert the rights of the company's workers.”
Previously, Quebec’s Administrative Labour Tribunal told Amazon to stop interfering in the unionization efforts of its workers. Specifically, the tribunal told the employer to refrain from making any statements or publishing any messages that have the purpose or effect of criticizing or denigrating the organizing campaign or questioning the usefulness of a union.
In April, Unifor said that unionization efforts at two Amazon fulfilment centres in Metro Vancouver will have to wait after it temporarily withdrew its application with the B.C. Labour Relations Board (BCLRB). The move came as Amazon provided a “suspiciously high number” of employees,” according to the union.
