Unifor says Amazon workers in Windsor, Ont., have expressed interest in unionizing
The border city delivery station opened in the fall with about 70 employees
As online retailer Amazon grows in the consciousness of shoppers, the company is also growing its footprint in Canada.
However, earlier this week, it announced it's closing its facilities in Quebec — slashing nearly 2,000 jobs — not long after a successful union drive at one of them by the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN).
A Unifor spokesperson says workers at Amazon's Windsor, Ont., facility have expressed interest in unionizing.
In 2021, when the company announced five new facilities in Quebec, it said it was eager to expand its operations in the province, touting the need to respond to greater demand and speed up delivery times.
A spokesperson said the move is to reduce costs and has nothing to do with the 300 Laval warehouse workers unionizing and that Amazon will outsource deliveries to smaller contractors.
A national Unifor representative says workers at Amazon's Windsor, Ont., distribution centre have expressed interest in unionizing only a few months after opening in the southwestern Ontario border city.
The delivery station is on the site of the former Chrysler Pillette Road assembly plant and started operating in the fall with around 70 employees.
Unifor's Justin Gniposky says while the vast majority of Amazon's employees aren't members of a union, the labour movement is working to change that — including at the Windsor location.
"Workers have reached out to us there as they have at facilities across southwestern Ontario and the province in general … trying to figure out, what is the process," he said.
"A lot of this is relatively new to a lot of these workers."
Gniposky says there's "ongoing activity" with his union and the Windsor facility.
"We remain open to that. We're building with them. But again, we haven't quite reached that stage where we have enough support to file an application," he said. "I can't say if they've reached out to others [unions], they possibly have, but there is certainly interest."
CBC News reached out to Amazon about its Windsor employees. The company said it was "thrilled" to launch in Windsor.
"Our employees have the choice of whether or not to join a union. They always have. We favour opportunities for each person to be respected and valued as an individual, and to have their unique voice heard by working directly with our team," said spokesperson Barbara Agrait, saying the company "already offers" the pay, health benefits and career growth "many unions are requesting."
"We look forward to working directly with our team to continue making Amazon a great place to work."
Gniposky says the cuts in Quebec are "obviously concerning" from a labour standpoint.
"When a company can essentially contract out the employees … whether this is a business decision like Amazon is claiming, or retribution against the workers joining a union."
According to Gniposky, his union's message to Windsor workers is that the best way to protect yourself is by joining a union and getting a collective agreement to ensure you "have a say."
Unifor's attempts to unionize workers at Amazon's Delta, B.C.'s facility are ongoing and remains before the province's labour relations board.
"They're spending a lot of resources combating this," said Gniposky.
With files from Bob Becken and Peter Duck