The Administrative Labour Tribunal has issued a directive ordering Amazon to cease its interference with union activities at its Lachine warehouse, according to the union.
In a decision handed down yesterday, Judge Henrik Ellefsen instructed the company to remove anti-union posters and stop making statements that criticize or undermine the unionization effort, it said.
The tribunal’s decision was in response to a complaint filed by the Montréal Amazon Workers Union (MAWU-CSN) on June 2, 2023. The complaint accused Amazon of attempting to dissuade employees from joining the union through intimidating messages. Judge Ellefsen stated these messages were “clearly likely to alarm [employees] about the possible consequences of joining a union.”
Amazon is also required to disseminate the tribunal’s decision to all employees at the Lachine warehouse by posting it and emailing it directly to them. Additionally, Amazon was ordered to pay $10,000 in moral damages and $20,000 in punitive damages to the union. The judge emphasized that the punitive damages were necessary to ensure Amazon ceases its unlawful behaviour.
“In this case, since the unlawful violation of the union’s rights was clearly intentional on Amazon’s part, the Tribunal finds that punitive damages must be ordered to impress upon Amazon that this behaviour must cease,” said Ellefsen.
“This is an important victory for the right of all workers to freely join a union,” said CSN vice-president David Bergeron-Cyr. “Even if they work for a giant like Amazon, Quebecers have a fundamental right to come together to negotiate their conditions of employment. Workers must not bow to anti-union fear-mongering: the CSN will always be there to defend their rights.”
The Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), which represents the nearly 250 employees at Amazon’s Laval warehouse, hailed the ruling as a significant win for workers’ rights. Founded in 1921, the CSN represents 330,000 workers in the public and parapublic sectors across Québec and Canada.
The CSN has been advocating for the unionization of Amazon workers in Québec, including those at the Laval warehouse, who are in the process of negotiating their first collective agreement.