{"id":15057,"date":"2025-02-04T08:13:43","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T08:13:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/04\/amazon-to-face-legal-pushback-as-anger-over-quebec-facility-closures-grows\/"},"modified":"2025-02-04T08:13:43","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T08:13:43","slug":"amazon-to-face-legal-pushback-as-anger-over-quebec-facility-closures-grows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/04\/amazon-to-face-legal-pushback-as-anger-over-quebec-facility-closures-grows\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon to face legal pushback as anger over Quebec facility closures grows"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

The battle lines have been drawn in a growing feud between Amazon<\/a> and workers in Quebec as the union prepares to announce a lawsuit in retribution to the company\u2019s province-wide facility closures.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

On Jan. 22, the U.S. e-commerce giant said it will close all seven of its facilities in Quebec over the next couple of months, laying off about 2,000 permanent and temporary workers \u2014 a number the Ministry of Labour has since confirmed will actually exceed 4,500 after including delivery service partners.<\/p>\n

Caroline Senneville, president of Conf\u00e9d\u00e9ration des syndicats nationaux (CSN), said it will be presenting its legal challenge on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur legal department is working really hard and has been for the last few days, and we will be able to announce on what grounds the company breached labour code and what legal action we will take,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Senneville said this could include a fight for worker compensation on top of their package with up to 14 weeks\u2019 pay.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Click
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Amazon spokesperson Barbara Agrait said the decision to shutter all Quebec facilities \u201cwasn\u2019t made lightly,\u201d and was a way to provide \u201ceven more savings to our customers over the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senneville said big corporations have a history in Quebec of closing down when unions come about, citing the departure of a Walmart store in Jonqui\u00e8re\u00a0back in 2005.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Get\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n

Get daily National news<\/h3>\n

Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThey were found guilty (of trying to destroy or weaken a union),\u201d she said. \u201cClosing shop because a union has come in is illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agrait has consistently denied the closures are linked to the recent unionization push in the province after one of the company\u2019s warehouses in Laval, Que., managed to unionize back in May 2024, becoming the company\u2019s first Canadian warehouse to do so.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cOf course Amazon is going to deny it until the end,\u201d Senneville said.<\/p>\n

However, while the CSN prepares to challenge the multinational company in court, DT Cochrane, a senior economist at the Canadian Labour Congress, said the power imbalance between a giant like Amazon and unions is so large that whatever fight a union puts up against them is too insignificant to affect any change.<\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t