Mélanie Laroche, a professor at the Université de Montréal who specializes in the relationships between employers and unions, said Amazon’s decision [to close all of its operations in Quebec, very likely because of imminent unionization,] was not a surprise.
She said Quebec’s labour laws are more restrictive on businesses than elsewhere.
Amazon currently recognizes one other union, in Staten Island, N.Y. But it has not yet reached a collective agreement with them.
In Quebec, by contrast, labour law would have obliged the two parties to negotiate a collective agreement and could have imposed arbitration on them.
“Amazon was probably confronted with that imminent arbitration demand for a first collective agreement and wouldn’t have had a choice but to conclude a collective agreement,” she said.
“They’re deciding to close facilities in a province where perhaps the labour laws are much more restrictive for management.”
As for Quebec’s premier, he says this was a private decision by a private company. Like increasing numbers of politicians around the globe, he’s no Union Maid; and indeed the unionizing forces who generated this unfortunate outcome might have considered not only the growing conservatism in many countries – including their own – but also the quite healthy hourly wage Amazon Quebec employees enjoyed until they all lost their jobs.
January 23rd, 2025 at 11:49AM
Yeah, its always the greedy workers, lavishishly eating every day and living inside. Fortunately if JeffY Bezos looks for some spare change in the couch cushions he can play captain kirk again and fly off in space.
January 23rd, 2025 at 12:23PM
Matt: I don’t at all say they’re greedy, and I often think unions are a good thing. But most economists distinguish between good and bad conditions for unions, and my point here is that this unionization drive was – obviously – ill-conceived.