The Labour Relations Board of British Columbia has dismissed Amazon’s attempt to reverse a previous ruling granting union certification to workers at a Delta facility. A panel at the Labour Relations Board upheld the original decision from July, which mandated remedial certification due to Amazon’s deliberate increase in hiring to undermine the union’s certification application process.
Unifor provided evidence demonstrating Amazon’s intentional efforts to dilute union support by expanding its workforce. The panel criticized Amazon for artificially inflating its employee count to challenge the union’s certification eligibility, labeling it as manipulation to avoid union recognition.
Amazon intends to appeal the decision once the final ruling on the appeal is made. The company argued that the previous board panel misapplied labor laws and wrongly granted remedial certification to the union. Amazon claimed the additional hiring was necessary for operational reasons and defended its anti-union stance as protected under free speech rights.
The panel disagreed with Amazon’s arguments, emphasizing that the employer’s conduct should be assessed comprehensively. It cited previous cases where similar actions by employers were deemed as interference with union formation. The panel deemed Amazon’s deliberate and inappropriate padding of the employee list as a significant violation justifying the union’s certification.
Unifor leaders hailed the decision as a warning to employers in British Columbia against interfering with unionization processes. They stressed the employees’ right to unionize, regardless of the workplace size. Unifor is now engaging with workers to ascertain their preferences for a collective agreement.
Amazon’s spokesperson criticized the ruling, claiming it deprived workers of their right to make informed decisions. The ongoing dispute highlights the contentious relationship between Amazon and labor unions in the context of workplace organization and employee representation.