Amazon Montreal Workers Face Union Busting

Amazon workers at the Lachine warehouse in Montreal are trying to unionize, but are experiencing union-busting methods from Amazon. This is taking the form of advertising, text messages sent out to workers and threats. Amazon workers at this facility are experiencing below industry wages, scrutiny from upper management and dangerous work conditions.

Amazon worker Manuel Tapial is trying to change this. Tapial is spearheading the campaign, he has been the Coordinator of The Montreal Amazon Workers’ Union (MAWU) dating back to the start of the movement earlier this year. The motivation came after observing the treatment his colleagues received when requesting paid sick leave and for their unfair dismissal. Tapial said MAWU has not yet met their quota of members to form a union, but the efforts continue.

Posters have been popping up around the Amazon’s Lachine location dissuading people from participating in union activities. Management has threatened the loss of benefits and spread other misinformation about unions to their workers.

The majority of Montreal Amazon workers are immigrants who rely on the job for a stable income, making Amazon’s threats even more impactful.

In Quebec, unions do not rely on votes to establish themselves. Instead, the process of unionizing relies on a membership card process. If 50 per cent or more of employees sign the membership card – the organization can officially be recognized as a union. In July, workers held a picnic to come together to share a meal and progress unionization efforts.

In July, workers held a picnic to come together to share a meal and progress unionization efforts.

Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) vice president David Bergeron-Cyr joined the picnic, as he has been working closely with MAWU to help with unionization efforts and to hold Amazon legally accountable for their attempts at disrupting the union.

Last fall, Community Organizer Mostafa Henaway conducted an under cover investigation when he spent one month working as an Associate at the Amazon fulfillment centre.

During the month he spent there, Henaway said the warehouse operated on a toxic family dynamic which pressured employees to meet high quotas dictated by artificial intelligence (AI) or face scrutiny from management. Henaway found that the emphasis on family created an environment of fear in the warehouse where coworkers would blame each other for disruptions to the production line rather than looking at the AI algorithms themselves.

Find our MAWU's demands for the Laval facility in this episode of Local 514.