Today You Decide. Vote to Keep Your Voice at Work. Vote yes to Unifor.

Your vote is 100% secret.

The vote is conducted independently by the BC Labour Relations Board.

Today, you will decide whether workers at Amazon YVR2 continue moving toward their first collective agreement.

One Year Later

One year ago, YVR2 workers made history by becoming the first unionized Amazon warehouse in Canada.

Since then, Unifor has been fighting on your behalf.

When Amazon challenged your certification, we defended your rights before the BC Labour Relations Board.

When Amazon tried to deny YVR2 workers the wage increases provided to workers elsewhere, Unifor challenged that decision and workers received the increases they deserved.

That is what a union does. It stands up for workers and holds employers accountable.

Today, after a year of hard work, we are closer than ever to negotiating your first collective agreement.

This vote determines whether that work continues.

Five Questions Before You Vote

1. Why do workers join unions?

Workers join unions because they want a voice at work.

Collective bargaining gives workers the legal right to negotiate improvements to wages, benefits, scheduling, health and safety, job security and respect in the workplace.

Without a union, Amazon makes these decisions on its own.

With a union, workers have a seat at the table.

2. Do union workers actually do better?

Yes.

Unionized workers are more likely to earn higher wages, receive better benefits, enjoy stronger health and safety protections, have greater job security and a fair process when workplace issues arise.

Most importantly, workers have the legal right to negotiate improvements instead of simply hoping the employer chooses to provide them.

3. Can Amazon close YVR2 because workers choose to keep their union?

This has been one of the most common questions we've heard.

A union gives workers the legal right to negotiate protections that would not otherwise exist.

Many Unifor collective agreements include language that restricts workplace closures or outsourcing during the life of the collective agreement, while others provide enhanced severance, notice and other protections that go well beyond provincial minimum standards if a closure does occur.

Amazon also cannot simply close your workplace because workers chose to unionize. Employers are prohibited from retaliating against workers for exercising their legal rights under British Columbia's labour laws. If Amazon attempted to close YVR2 because workers chose union representation, Unifor would vigorously challenge that action through the BC Labour Relations Board.

At the same time, no union can honestly promise that a business will never close a workplace. Companies can make legitimate business decisions, and it would not be truthful to suggest otherwise.

It is also important to look at the facts.

Amazon already operates unionized facilities around the world. Workers are represented by unions in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada (YVR2). Across Europe, Amazon also works with employee representatives through its European Works Council, demonstrating that the company regularly operates in unionized environments.

Every day, millions of Amazon packages are picked, packed and shipped from facilities where workers have union representation. If Amazon simply closed every unionized workplace, those facilities would not still be operating today.

Make your decision based on facts—not rumours or fear.

4. Are we close to getting a collective agreement?

Yes.

Winning certification was the hardest step.

Over the past year, Unifor has defended your certification, protected your rights and prepared for collective bargaining.

A YES vote keeps that progress moving forward.

A NO vote ends the process before workers have the opportunity to negotiate their first collective agreement.

5. What happens after the vote?

If workers vote YES, collective bargaining continues.

Unifor will bargain with Amazon on your behalf.

When a tentative agreement is reached, workers—not Unifor—will decide whether to accept it through a democratic vote.

Nothing becomes your collective agreement unless a majority of workers vote in favour of it.

If workers vote NO, the union certification is cancelled, collective bargaining ends, and workers lose the opportunity to negotiate their first collective agreement.

Today, the Decision Is Yours

This decision belongs to you.

No one should pressure you.

Take a few minutes, consider the facts, and make the decision you believe is best for yourself, your family and your co-workers.

One year ago, YVR2 workers made history.

Over the past year, you've defended your certification, protected your wage increases and moved closer than ever to negotiating your first collective agreement.

We've come too far to turn back now.

KEEP YOUR VOICE AT WORK.

KEEP YOUR UNION.

VOTE YES.

Margaret Olal
[email protected]
236-334-1198