Unifor announces union drive for Amazon workers in Metro Vancouver
Posted June 21, 2023 2:45 pm.
Last Updated June 21, 2023 5:35 pm.
Unifor says it’s planning a union drive for Amazon workers in Metro Vancouver.
The union announced the drive in a press release Wednesday after an in-person event near an Amazon fulfillment centre in New Westminster that included an appearance by Chris Smalls, president of the Amazon Labor Union in the U.S.
In a release, Smalls says unionizing Amazon workers in Metro Vancouver can help build meaningful connections moving forward.
“The union shows the power of the people, bringing them together, helping them with their real concerns at work. Amazon can never do that. They’re in the business of exploiting workers for profit.”
National President Lana Payne says joining a union would help Amazon workers push their employer to improve working conditions and ensure essential support is delivered.
“They took risks during COVID-19 to ensure millions of us could stay home and get key deliveries on time. It’s time they get the chance to benefit from a solid, enforceable collective agreement,” she said.
Unifor is planning a union drive for Amazon workers in Metro Vancouver (CityNews Image)
Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor’s regional director for the west, says in the press release that the Amazon Labor Union has shown what’s possible at the e-commerce giant.
“It’s time to turn things around in the warehouse industry, workers can do it together. The ALU already showed us what is possible at Amazon,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how big your company is: workers everywhere deserve the benefits and protections of a union.”
Representing 315,000 workers, Unifor is Canada’s biggest union in the private sector.
