Bargaining update at YVR2
Dear members,
We have some important bargaining updates to share. The good news is that you are one step closer to finally having a collective agreement with Amazon—the first of its kind in Canada. The bargaining committee has decided to request binding arbitration.
The bad news is that arbitration is definitely not the union’s first choice for the path to get there. Our preference is always to complete good faith bargaining with an employer who respects your work and wants to see you thrive with improved wages and working conditions.
However, Amazon has consistently stalled and made very unreasonable proposals that will, if anything, take you backwards. Management is totally committed to imposing unrealistic quotas, increased workload without proper staffing, and unilateral discipline for workers who cannot safely keep up.
Faced with a stalling and inflexible employer, your committee was left with very little choice but to request for an independent arbitrator to make final, binding recommendations on the shape of your first collective agreement.
Whenever we turn to an arbitrator, there are inherent risks, including final recommendations that are less than what we proposed at the bargaining table.
But as we said, Amazon has been totally inflexible and has not shown any sign of working collaboratively to improve working conditions. Instead, Amazon is attempting to protect and expand a system that puts pressure and production ahead of workers’ health, safety, and dignity. We’re confident that an arbitrator will agree.
So we’re one step closer to a contract. The next steps involve responding to whatever recommendations come forward from the arbitrator, but we anticipate an update on this process in June.
As always, continue to send your questions to me and report anti-union intimidation behaviour from your supervisors.
In solidarity,
Mario Santos
Unifor National Representative