\u201cAfter months of effort, Amazon employees succeeded in convincing their co-workers that they must stand together to win against the behemoth,\u201d said CSN President Caroline Senneville. \u201cOn Friday, we notified the Tribunal that a majority of employees at the DXT4 warehouse had signed union cards. We are asking the ALT to recognize their desire to form a union and we will be closely watching the multinational\u2019s actions in the coming days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the past few weeks, employees have flocked to join the Laval Amazon Workers Union\u2013CSN. Amazon workers cite many reasons for dissatisfaction with their working conditions: the frenetic pace of work, woefully inadequate health and safety measures, and wages well below the norm at warehouses and fulfillment centres in Qu\u00e9bec.<\/p>\n
\u201cI applaud the courage and determination of Amazon workers,\u201d said Senneville. \u201cAmazon has been waging a scare campaign at its Qu\u00e9bec warehouses for months, flooding the workplaces with anti-union propaganda. It\u2019s time for the intimidation of employees to stop and for labour rights to be respected in Qu\u00e9bec.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the next few days, the ALT will contact management at Amazon\u2019s DXT4 warehouse to inform them that a certification application has been filed and to obtain a list of the company\u2019s employees, as provided for by the Qu\u00e9bec Labour Code. The list will enable the ALT to determine whether the union is representative \u2013 i.e., whether a 50% + 1 majority of employees have signed a union card. If it finds that this is the case, the ALT will then certify the union as the representative of all the employees covered by the application.<\/p>\n
Amazon has a long history of union-busting and may well use delaying tactics or other strategies to slow the unionization process, such as artificially inflating the employee list, massive hiring and spreading anti-union messages.<\/p>\n
However, Qu\u00e9bec labour laws are very strict on employer interference with the unionization process. Under sections 12, 13 and 15 of the Labour Code, Amazon may<\/p>\n
not hinder the activities of an association of employees nor intimidate, threaten or retaliate against workers for exercising their rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can assure Amazon employees that our legal teams are ready, and that workers\u2019 rights will be respected,\u201d said Caroline Senneville. \u201cAnd we call on all workers in Amazon\u2019s other Qu\u00e9bec warehouses to stand up for their rights\u2014even against a giant multinational!\u201d<\/p>\n