The Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) has filed a complaint with Quebec’s Administrative Labour Tribunal (ALT), requesting the reversal of Amazon’s decision to close its seven warehouses in the province.

The union alleges the closures are a “massive subterfuge” designed to bypass legal obligations and suppress union presence within the company.

“Amazon isn’t ceasing its online sales activities in Quebec,” the complaint states. “It is reorganizing its operations to escape its obligations as an employer under the Labour Code.”

Filed under sections 12, 13, 14 and 53 of the Labour Code, the complaint argues that Amazon’s decision is unlawful in several respects.

The CSN is demanding that the ALT order the reopening of the seven affected warehouses and compensate employees with more than a year’s salary, in addition to moral and punitive damages. The union asserts that Amazon’s actions constitute an attack on Quebec’s legal framework and unfairly target thousands of employees.

The complaint challenges the logic of Amazon’s decision, noting that the company has significantly invested in Quebec’s last-mile delivery network in recent years. Four of the affected facilities, including the recently unionized DXT4 warehouse in Laval, were opened just three years ago as part of Amazon’s strategy to enhance same-day delivery services.

Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy previously emphasized the importance of local warehouses, stating in October 2024 that they provide “not only the fastest way to get products to customers but also one of our lowest-cost ways to deliver,” the union noted. The CSN argues that Amazon’s abrupt shift to a third-party delivery model contradicts this stance and is instead a move to evade unionization efforts and collective bargaining.

The CSN details Amazon’s alleged anti-union tactics dating back to a unionization campaign launched in 2022 at its Lachine, Laval, and Saint-Hubert warehouses.. The ALT ruled against Amazon in July 2024 for using scare tactics to discourage employees from signing union cards, and the company has since refused to engage in bargaining efforts, according to CSN.

Amazon allegedly used a post-unionization freeze on working conditions to justify withholding a $1.50-per-hour wage increase from unionized employees in Laval, while granting it to non-unionized workers. The company’s proposal of a 0% wage increase for unionized employees in January was, according to the CSN, “a rare and arrogant rejection of the bargaining process that a union is entitled to expect as a constitutional right.”

CSN President Caroline Senneville condemned Amazon’s decision.

“The closure of Amazon’s warehouses serves only one purpose: to avoid signing a collective agreement and eradicate any union presence in North America,” she said. “There is no other explanation for this decision. It is a blatant violation of our laws and the fundamental rights enshrined in our charters.”

The CSN is also urging public support for its Boycott Amazon campaign.

Founded in 1921, the CSN represents 330,000 workers across Québec and Canada in both the public and private sectors.

Amazon said previous that it is moving forward with its plan to the warehouses despite objections from the federal government.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne has stated that the government will review its business relationship with the online-retail and logistics giant in wake of the planned closures.

The company says the move will provide the same high level of service while providing additional services to customers.

The closures will result in the loss of 1,700 permanent jobs and 250 temporary positions across the province. Amazon has denied that the move is part of a union-busting effort.

Other Quebec logistics operators expect the closures to provide opportunities for them.

Pictured: Amazon warehouse in Quebec.

Photo: Amazon