Amazon to Close Quebec Warehouses, Eliminate 1,700 Jobs
Amid labor unionization efforts, Amazon has announced the closure of all seven of its warehouses in the Canadian province of Quebec within the next two months.
The e-commerce giant claims the move will enhance customer savings. However, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which successfully unionized one of the warehouses, accuses Amazon of retaliation against organizing efforts.
The closures will result in the loss of approximately 1,700 permanent full-time jobs and 250 temporary positions in the greater Montreal area. Amazon intends to partner with local third-party delivery companies, reverting to a pre-2020 business model.
The closures include fulfillment and sorting centers, delivery stations, and an AMXL facility for large item shipping. Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne expressed dismay, contacting Amazon Canada's head to voice his concerns.
The unionized warehouse in Laval, the first of Amazon's Canadian facilities to do so, has challenged anti-unionization efforts, alleging that the closures are retaliation. Legal experts compare the situation to a similar case involving Walmart Canada 20 years ago, where the Supreme Court ruled that Walmart violated Quebec labor law.