CSN calls on the public to protest against Amazon layoffs this Saturday

MONTRÉAL, Feb. 14, 2025 /CNW/ - As the campaign to boycott Amazon gathers momentum, the CSN is calling on the public to take to the streets of Montréal this Saturday for a festive demonstration.

"Quebecers know how to stand up for themselves!" says CSN President Caroline Senneville. "We're not going to let a multinational come here, take our money, flout our laws and threaten the viability of our local businesses and shops without fighting back."

The demonstrators will gather outside the Mont-Royal metro station at 1 p.m. on Saturday. After a short march, the demonstration will end at Parc des Compagnons-de-Saint-Laurent, located further east on Mont-Royal Avenue.

"No one is fooled," says Senneville. "No one believes Amazon when it says its decision to close seven warehouses, leading to the lay-off of 4,700 workers, has nothing to do with the fact that there's a union and that an arbitrator could impose a first collective agreement this year. But these tactics are illegal in Québec. And the least we can do when a company breaks our laws so blatantly is to stop doing business with them. The federal, provincial and municipal governments and our public institutions must all cut their ties with Amazon."

Buy local

In response to Amazon's decision to close its seven warehouses in Québec and outsource its operations, the CSN launched a nationwide campaign to boycott Amazon last week. The CSN also called on the public to boycott Amazon by not shopping on its online platform and cancelling their Amazon Prime subscriptions.

"Many local businesses have been hard hit by the upheaval in the retail sector caused by Amazon's arrival in Québec," Senneville noted. "While we realize that a boycott in Québec may not rock Jeff Bezos's empire, every dollar that is no longer spent at Amazon could go to benefit our businesses, shops and jobs. In these uncertain times, with an American president working directly for the interests of the Jeff Bezoses of the world, consumers must make buying local a priority."

For more information on the boycott campaign, visit www.csn.qc.ca/amazon-en

Background

On April 19, 2024, the CSN filed an application with the Administrative Labour Tribunal (ALT) to represent the 230 employees at Amazon's DXT4 warehouse on Ernest-Cormier St. in Laval. In the preceding weeks, many workers had signed union cards. On May 10, the ALT officially certified the union, recognizing that a majority of employees had joined. Bargaining for a first collective agreement began in July. 

The ALT has found Amazon guilty of anti-union interference and obstruction at the YUL2 warehouse in Lachine and is currently hearing a similar case concerning Amazon's actions at the DXT4 warehouse in Laval.

About the CSN

Founded in 1921, the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) represents 330,000 workers in the public and private sectors in all regions of Québec and across Canada.

SOURCE CSN - Confédération des syndicats nationaux

Information: François L'Écuyer, CSN Communications Office, Cell: 514-949-8973, [email protected]