Union Takes Amazon to Court Over Quebec Warehouse Closures

Amazon is facing legal action after shutting down all seven of its Quebec warehouses, a move the CSN union says was meant to crush worker organization efforts.

On February 20, the CSN and several labour groups filed a complaint with the Tribunal administratif du travail, demanding that Amazon reverse the closures and reinstate all laid-off employees, which is about 1,900 workers. The union is also pushing for at least one year’s salary in compensation for each affected worker, reports La Presse.

The CSN argues that Amazon’s decision was not about business strategy but rather a deliberate attempt to prevent unionization. “Laying off 100% of its warehouse staff isn’t just socially unacceptable—it’s illegal,” the union stated in its complaint. They claim Amazon wants to stop labour organizing not only in Quebec but across Canada.

The closure announcement came on January 22, just months after Amazon workers at a Laval warehouse became the first in Canada to unionize. Since then, Prime customers have reported slower deliveries, with wait times increasing from one or two days to four or five. That’s because Amazon switched to a third party for deliveries.

Amazon, however, insists the closures were part of a business shift to subcontracted delivery services. A spokesperson said this model, used in 2020, will help maintain service quality while reducing costs.

The union, backed by fired workers and other labour groups, is calling for the government to step in. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in court, but it’s clear Amazon is not messing around when it comes to shutting down union efforts.