Amazon workers at a facility in Delta, B.C., have been given the go-ahead to vote on unionizing through Unifor.
The union said the B.C. Labour Relations Board has ordered a confidential vote on the unionization drive this week.
The board issued the order after hundreds of workers signed union cards, and Unifor applied to the body to certify the unit.
“Thousands of warehouse workers across Canada are already represented by Unifor and enjoy the higher wages, extended benefits, and job security of a union,” Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle said in a media release.
“Workers at Amazon deserve a union.”
Amazon called the Labour Relations Board ruling “confusing and wrong on the law.”
“After an official report confirming that there weren’t enough signed cards to require a vote, the Labour official then decided to force a vote anyway – a decision that undermines the rights of the majority of our employees in Vancouver who chose not to sign cards,” spokesperson Barbara M. Agrait said.
“We believe it’s important that our employees’ voices are actually heard and we plan to appeal.”
Amazon workers first unionized at a distribution centre on Staten Island in New York, and were joined in Canada recently by workers at a warehouse in Laval, Que.
The Delta facility unionization vote will be held between Tuesday afternoon and Friday, with a simple majority required for approval.
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