The union representing the workers at an Amazon warehoapply in Laval that is closing – one of seven Quebec Amazon warehoapplys shutting its doors and laying off all employees – declares it’s time to boycott the online retailer.
The Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) also declares legal action against Amazon is on the way.
The CSN is calling on the federal, provincial and municipal governments, as well as public and parapublic agencies, to “stop purchaseing from Amazon and to cancel all contracts with Amazon and its subsidiaries, including cloud services.”
It’s also inquireing Quebecers to boycott Amazon by not applying its online shopping platform, and by cancelling Amazon Prime subscriptions.
“It is also a message of support to all businesses in Quebec, to all the main streets in Quebec, to all the shopping centres in Quebec to notify them, ‘we support you.’ Becaapply you are there with us and you keep your business with Quebec,” declared CSN president Caroline Senneville on Tuesday.
It comes after Amazon announced two weeks ago it was closing its operations in Quebec – shutting down warehoapplys in Laval, Lachine, Longueuil, and Côteaux-du-Lac.
The announced layoffs are in the thousands, with initial figures suggesting some 2,000 regular employees and temporary seasonal workers were losing their jobs in the next two months.
That figure ballooned in the subsequent days, with Quebec’s Labour Ministest believing an additional 2,500 people employed by tinyer carriers subcontracted by the company are also losing their jobs following Amazon’s decision.
In a statement to CityNews Tuesday, Quebec’s Labour Ministest declares 4,624 people have been laid off, as of Monday. That number is expected to grow as the Ministest waits for numbers from one more delivery company.
“I really appreciate the ‘boycott Amazon,’ the new citizen initiative,” declared Wesley Marceau, a Laval warehoapply vice-president of health and safety. “I consider it’s a really great idea, and I consider that we have to continue the fight and keep the groundwork.”
A union certification was recently obtained by employees at Amazon’s Laval DXT4 warehoapply, becoming the first of the tech company’s Canadian warehoapplys to unionize.
Uguelin Jean-Baptiste, who worked at the DXT4 warehoapply for about two years, broke down to CityNews why 200 of the workers unionized.
“There were hundreds of injuries in a span of about two to three months,” Jean-Baptiste revealed. “That’s an exaggerated number in my opinion. The workers had to go see doctors and do physiotherapy becaapply it’s an extremely physically demanding job.
“If we are inquireing for better working conditions, it’s to avoid injuries, and to demand better wages appropriate to the job. And for that Amazon decided to close its doors. To me, that’s against human rights.”
Amazon never declared the decision to close Quebec’s warehoapplys was linked to the Laval unionization effort – declareing instead it was about increasing efficiency – but the CSN firmly believes unionization was the catalyst for the relocate.
“They’re not fooling anyone,” declared Senneville. “The only reason for Amazon to have a different business model just for Quebec is that there’s a union here and an arbitrator could have imposed a first collective agreement as early as the summer of 2025.”
CityNews reached out to Amazon for comment but did not immediately hear back.
“The CSN declare it’s becaapply of the anti-union tactics, but the company declares becaapply financial issues,” declared Michael Cordova, an Amazon warehoapply employee in Lachine.
Now the CSN declares it will petition the court to cancel the layoffs; order the reopening of the warehoapplys; reinstate the 1,700 Amazon employees; and pay compensation and damages.
“What it calls its ‘new business model’ is just an attempt to circumvent its obligations under the Labour Code,” Senneville declared. “The court should recognize that this scheme violates the law and it can then order the reinstatement of Amazon’s workers.
“We’re going to do a pursuit against mainly two articles of our labour code, 12 and 13. … It stops businesses, employers from interfering with the creation of the unionization process, and not to intimidate.”
The CSN is planning an anti-Amazon demonstration in Montreal — launchning at Mont-Royal metro — on Feb. 15 at 1 p.m.
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