UNION BUSTING
Amazon to Face Legal Action After Laying Off 1,900 in Quebec
WALMART QUE DID THIS TOO WHEN UNIONIZED
A Prime delivery truck drives past Amazon's DXT6 warehouse in the Montreal suburb of Lachine on Monday, Jan.27, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)
By Mathieu Dion and Matt Day,
Bloomberg News
February 04, 2025
(Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc.’s decision to close all seven of its warehouses in the Canadian province of Quebec and terminate more than 1,900 workers is prompting legal action from the affected union.
The Federation of National Trade Unions will petition a court to annul the layoffs and order the reopening of the warehouses. It will also ask for payment of compensation and damages, the union said in a statement Tuesday.
Amazon is in the process of laying off employees in the province and will cut ties with more than 2,600 others who work with delivery partners, according to Quebec’s employment ministry. The online retailer plans to use subcontractors, such as Montreal-based Intelcom Courrier Canada Inc., instead.
“What it calls its ‘new business model’ is just an attempt to circumvent its obligations under the Labour Code,” Federation President Caroline Senneville said in the statement. “The court should recognize that this scheme violates the law and it can then order the reinstatement of Amazon’s workers.”
(Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc.’s decision to close all seven of its warehouses in the Canadian province of Quebec and terminate more than 1,900 workers is prompting legal action from the affected union.
The Federation of National Trade Unions will petition a court to annul the layoffs and order the reopening of the warehouses. It will also ask for payment of compensation and damages, the union said in a statement Tuesday.
Amazon is in the process of laying off employees in the province and will cut ties with more than 2,600 others who work with delivery partners, according to Quebec’s employment ministry. The online retailer plans to use subcontractors, such as Montreal-based Intelcom Courrier Canada Inc., instead.
“What it calls its ‘new business model’ is just an attempt to circumvent its obligations under the Labour Code,” Federation President Caroline Senneville said in the statement. “The court should recognize that this scheme violates the law and it can then order the reinstatement of Amazon’s workers.”
The union had been negotiating with Amazon since July to create a collective agreement for 300 employees at a warehouse in Laval, a suburb of Montreal. The closures were announced on Jan. 22, less than a year after the Laval workers unionized. Amazon said at the time that the decision was not related to the unionization effort.
Amazon spokesperson Barbara Agrait said returning to a third-party delivery model will allow the company to provide “even more savings to our customers over the long run.” It’s complying with federal and provincial laws, she said.
The union also launched a campaign calling on consumers to boycott the multinational by not shopping on its online platform and canceling Amazon Prime subscriptions.
Francois-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s industry minister, said in January that Amazon’s decision is unacceptable, and called for a review of the business relationship between the company and the Canadian government.
Amazon has 1.55 million employees worldwide. Many of their warehouse workers in Europe are covered by sectoral bargaining agreements. Employees at facilities in New York and Philadelphia have unionized, but still lack a contract.
(Update with comments from Amazon in sixth paragraph.)
©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Parks Canada sends memo encouraging employees to buy from Amazon amid decision to leave Quebec, , tariff war with U.S.
By Rachel Lau
February 04, 2025
A memo from Parks Canada encouraging employees to join Amazon’s business program to purchase office and other supplies is causing waves, according to an exclusive report by Noovo Info.
The e-mail was sent on Monday afternoon, just as the Canadian government was working to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to suspend his tariff threat.READ MORE: Canada and the U.S. have avoided a trade war for now. Here are the latest updates
It also comes less than two weeks after Amazon announced that it would be closing all its facilities in Quebec and returning to a third-party delivery model.
“We are pleased to announce that Parks Canada has established a business account with Amazon for the purchase of low-value goods,” reads the notice, a copy of which was obtained by Noovo Info. “This new program simplifies your purchasing process and allows you to take advantage of the vast selection of products and competitive prices that Amazon offers.”
Managers will be allowed to make purchases up to $10,000 with a Parks Canada purchasing card without having to issue a call for tenders.
The limit is $5,000 for other employees.
“My colleagues simply couldn’t believe it,” one employee told Noovo Info.
Amazon is pulling out of Quebec over the next two months, spokesperson say it's returning to a third party model.
A Parks Canada manager, who is not authorized to speak to the media and asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals from her employer, acknowledges that the note was sent at a bad time.
“It’s bad timing,” she admitted, pointing out that the directive had been in the works for some time.
Nevertheless, she says she is urging employees to buy from local suppliers wherever possible.
“It’s not an incentive to buy with Amazon,” she said. “It’s to give us information about what the employees bought.”READ MORE: Quebec union confederation calling for Amazon boycott, planning legal action
Tuesday, the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) launched a boycott campaign against the e-commerce giant, calling on the public and politicians to demonstrate on Feb. 15.
“There are 450 agencies in the federal government, and maybe the memo hasn’t made it everywhere,” said CSN President Caroline Senneville, adding she knows a few federal ministers “who won’t be happy about this.”READ MORE: Amazon closing all Quebec warehouses
Following Amazon’s Jan. 22 decision to close all its facilities in Quebec, municipalities across the province have said they would stop doing business with the retail giant.
The Canadian government also spoke out at the time, demanding that Amazon “immediately” reconsider its decision to close all its distribution centres in Quebec and threatening to review its commercial relationship with the company if nothing is done.
Amazon has denied that the closure is linked to the unionization of employees at the DXT4 facility in Laval, Que.
Rachel Lau
Digital Reporter, CTVNewsMontreal.ca
A memo from Parks Canada encouraging employees to join Amazon’s business program to purchase office and other supplies is causing waves, according to an exclusive report by Noovo Info.
The e-mail was sent on Monday afternoon, just as the Canadian government was working to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to suspend his tariff threat.READ MORE: Canada and the U.S. have avoided a trade war for now. Here are the latest updates
It also comes less than two weeks after Amazon announced that it would be closing all its facilities in Quebec and returning to a third-party delivery model.
“We are pleased to announce that Parks Canada has established a business account with Amazon for the purchase of low-value goods,” reads the notice, a copy of which was obtained by Noovo Info. “This new program simplifies your purchasing process and allows you to take advantage of the vast selection of products and competitive prices that Amazon offers.”
Managers will be allowed to make purchases up to $10,000 with a Parks Canada purchasing card without having to issue a call for tenders.
The limit is $5,000 for other employees.
“My colleagues simply couldn’t believe it,” one employee told Noovo Info.
Amazon is pulling out of Quebec over the next two months, spokesperson say it's returning to a third party model.
A Parks Canada manager, who is not authorized to speak to the media and asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals from her employer, acknowledges that the note was sent at a bad time.
“It’s bad timing,” she admitted, pointing out that the directive had been in the works for some time.
Nevertheless, she says she is urging employees to buy from local suppliers wherever possible.
“It’s not an incentive to buy with Amazon,” she said. “It’s to give us information about what the employees bought.”READ MORE: Quebec union confederation calling for Amazon boycott, planning legal action
Tuesday, the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) launched a boycott campaign against the e-commerce giant, calling on the public and politicians to demonstrate on Feb. 15.
“There are 450 agencies in the federal government, and maybe the memo hasn’t made it everywhere,” said CSN President Caroline Senneville, adding she knows a few federal ministers “who won’t be happy about this.”READ MORE: Amazon closing all Quebec warehouses
Following Amazon’s Jan. 22 decision to close all its facilities in Quebec, municipalities across the province have said they would stop doing business with the retail giant.
The Canadian government also spoke out at the time, demanding that Amazon “immediately” reconsider its decision to close all its distribution centres in Quebec and threatening to review its commercial relationship with the company if nothing is done.
Amazon has denied that the closure is linked to the unionization of employees at the DXT4 facility in Laval, Que.
Rachel Lau
Digital Reporter, CTVNewsMontreal.ca
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