The union campaign at the Amazon warehouse in Lachine is already causing a stir. CSN accuses Amazon of “intimidation” and “interference,” while the American giant speaks of “harassment” by union officials.
“Several employees have provided us with information that they have felt harassed by union organizers and pressured into signing union membership cards,” reads a text message sent to all employees at the company last week. “Amazon in Lachine, of which Le Journal a copy.
In this message, Amazon encourages employees to report such actions to managers.
The warehouse manager also dedicated his entire May newsletter to the subject of trade unionism. “We encourage you to ask questions [sur le syndicat] and to get all the facts and the truth,” says director Jean-François Héroux.
According to the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN), these practices are “illegal” because they involve interference in the union campaign.
Formal note
“They manage to create fear and lies. The decision to join a union or not rests with the workers. The employer has no right to influence this decision. Amazon, you must understand that you are not in the United States. You have to respect Québec labor law,” argues CSN Vice President David Bergeron-Cyr.
The union therefore sent a formal request asking Amazon to “immediately and irrevocably cease all forms of interference and intimidation”.
According to Mr Bergeron-Cyr, it is “completely wrong” to suggest that union officials are complicit in harassment.
“We’re not surprised at all. They did that all over the United States. They spread lies to divide workers,” he argues.
Employees threatened with sanctions
According to our information, Amazon is investigating an employee who is considered a key union activist.
He allegedly violated the company’s non-solicitation policy and shared false information about other employees or the company.
Adding to these flames with Amazon, Mr Bergeron-Cyr believes the campaign is “going well” and that the CSN can soon file an application with the Administrative Labor Court.
“Our campaign has already paid off. They have already upgraded some worker bonuses [de 1,50 $ et 2 $ de l’heure]. They know there is dissatisfaction with salaries,” he says.
No Amazon representative was available to answer our questions yesterday.
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