A labour arbitrator will determine the first collective agreement for workers at Amazon’s DXT4 warehouse in Laval after negotiations reached an impasse, despite the company’s decision to close its Québec warehouses and outsource operations.
The Ministry of Labour referred the case to arbitration on Friday following a report from a conciliator who found the parties were deadlocked. The Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), which represents the 287 unionized employees at the warehouse, had requested the arbitration under Québec’s Labour Code.
“Whether Amazon likes it or not, there will be a collective agreement for Laval warehouse employees,” said CSN president Caroline Senneville. She criticized the company’s decision to shut down its warehouses, saying it appeared to be an attempt to avoid bargaining with unionized workers.
The arbitrator will decide not only on the terms of the collective agreement but also on retroactive wage increases for hours worked since bargaining began. Another key issue is whether the terminated employees must be recalled if the Administrative Labour Tribunal (ALT) orders Amazon to reopen its warehouses.
In a separate legal challenge filed last week, the CSN asked the ALT to order Amazon to resume operations, arguing the closures were anti-union in nature. The union is also seeking more than a year’s worth of wages for affected employees, as well as moral and punitive damages.
The dispute follows months of legal battles between Amazon and the CSN. The ALT previously ruled that Amazon engaged in anti-union interference at its YUL2 warehouse in Lachine and is reviewing a similar complaint related to the DXT4 facility.
The unionization drive at DXT4 began in April 2024, with official certification granted in May. Negotiations started in July, but in January, Amazon announced plans to shut down all seven of its Québec warehouses and shift operations to subcontractors.
