United in Struggle

Don’t Let Amazon Walk Over Workers: Boycott! Organize! Unionize!

The East Van Workers Assembly stands with more than 3,000 workers who are being laid off after Amazon decided to end its operations in Quebec on January 21st. All deliveries will now be handled by a non-unionized subcontractor. This move is a retaliation against the workers of the DXT4 warehouse in Laval, the first in Canada to successfully unionize.

This isn’t the first time Amazon has used ‘aggressive’ tactics against its workers. Just last year in BC, Unifor had to withdraw a certification application after Amazon created hundreds of new employees out of thin air to bust the union. Organized Amazon workers who are willing to fight for their basic rights have managed to scare Jeff Bezos and one of the world’s richest corporations into using cowardly tactics.

Union-busting like that of Amazon in Quebec is nothing new: as long as workers have struggled for their rights and protection, bosses have used any tools they could to stop them. Anti-union presentations, illegal firings, and workplace shut down are just a few of the anti-union tactics that many workers face when bosses are threatened by workers’ collective power. But only through uniting and fighting can we protect our dignity and advance our legitimate claims.

Bezos and his union-busting are only part of a larger attack against unions by both corporations and the government throughout Canada. Just in the last year alone three high-profile strikes have been mandated back to work using Section 107 of the Canadian Labour Code, a new anti-worker tactic ‘discovered’ by the Trudeau government. With the Teamsters, ILWU, and CUPW strikes being forced back to work, and now Amazon’s union-busting, our fundamental rights and ability to strike are being threatened. 

We need to stand up to Amazon’s escalation! This isn’t just a fight for the 3,000 workers in Quebec who are losing their jobs. This is a fight for all workers, to show that we can take on Amazon and win. Take up the call and Boycott Amazon. Make them pay for their attack on the working class. Let’s build a movement to stand up against anti-worker tactics, and to unionize Amazon like the workers in Quebec.

Boycott Amazon! This is a Fight for All Workers and the Whole Labour Movement!

OUR DEMANDS:

(1) Keep the warehouses open! Keep the workers employed! Respect union rights! 

(2) Not another penny of public money for Amazon!

IF AMAZON PERSISTS AND KICKS OUT ITS EMPLOYEES, WE WILL DEMAND:

(1) Amazon out! Suspension of ALL Amazon activities in Quebec and Canada! 

(2) Expropriation of Amazon’s land, buildings and other assets! 

(3) Repayment of all public subsidies received by Amazon! 

(4) One year’s salary and insurance for all workers! 

(5) Full and free support for continuing education for laid-off workers!