A union representing about 800 Amazon workers in Delta, B.C., says they are now covered by the first binding collective agreement for the retail giant’s workers in North America.
Unifor and Amazon both say an independent arbitrator imposed the terms of the three-year deal on Friday.
While the union hails the agreement, and workers who it says “stood up to one of the most powerful companies on Earth,” Amazon says it was imposed without giving workers a chance to vote on it.
Amazon vice-president J. Ofori Agboka says in an online posting that the process was “improper, unfair and defies common sense,” and the company would take its concerns to court if necessary.
Unifor says the agreement includes wage increases that bring hourly rates to $29 by its conclusion, enhanced severance protections and an additional week of vacation for workers with 10 years of service.
Delta, B.C., Amazon workers certified to unionize
British Columbia’s Labour Relations Board ruled in August in favour of using binding arbitration to settle the labour dispute, despite the e-commerce giant fighting the idea.
“Amazon told everyone a union contract would never happen, but workers proved them wrong,” Unifor national president Lana Payne said in a statement, praising the “courage” of workers.
Payne said Amazon “tried to convince workers that they were too big to organize and used their power and money to deter workers while making billions in profits.”
“They have fought every decision and tried to rewrite reality at every step but they have failed,” Payne said.
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But Agboka said union dues meant the workers “could actually take home less money than they did before.”
“Our associates weren’t allowed to vote on whether to accept it, which has become an unfortunate pattern with the British Columbia Labour Relations Board,” he said.
He added that Amazon believed the best workplace was “one where associates have direct input and we work together to make progress quickly, and where nobody should have to pay dues or go through a third party to be heard.”
