Teamsters head up potential union efforts at Hamilton Amazon facility

Efforts to unionize Amazon employees across Canada continue to ramp up as Teamsters representatives say they’ve begun connecting with Hamilton workers.

Members of Teamsters Local 879 were stationed outside the Aeropark Boulevard fulfilment centre Wednesday to hand out information leaflets to employees arriving for their shift, said Jim Killey, coordinator of membership development. The local pamphlet campaign was prompted by growing concerns around working conditions at the facility that led to employees reaching out to the labour union, said Killey.

Amazon has touted the Mount Hope site as its most “technologically advanced” robotic fulfilment centre in the country. Opening its doors at the end of January, at least 1,500 people were employed at the depot in mid-April.

Killey said employees have raised issues such as a lack of training when they first start, inequity when it comes to treatment by management and a worker attendance program that can result in firing.

He said workers have also alleged that their lunch breaks are being eaten away at by the amount of time it takes to cross the facility — which spans more than 800,000 square feet in size.

“It’s a very go-go type of job inside,” said Killey.

The Spectator reached out to Amazon Thursday for comment on the allegations and the efforts to unionize at the facility but did not receive a response before deadline.

However, in a recent statement to The Canadian Press, Amazon Canada spokesperson Ryma Boussoufa said the company doesn’t “think unions are the best answer” for employees, but that the choice lies in their hands.

“Our focus remains on working directly with our team to continue making Amazon a great place to work,” said Boussoufa in an email.

Killey said the stop in Hamilton follows similar pamphlet campaigns outside Amazon facilities across Ontario, including Milton, Cambridge, Kitchener and London. The efforts here in Ontario come as workers at Amazon facilities in both Alberta and Quebec get closer to unionizing with the help of Teamsters, said Killey.

Leaflets handed out included an introduction to Teamsters.

Killey said their efforts will continue in the coming months, all depending on the response from workers. He noted that representatives were met with a positive response from employees.

“I got several thumbs up,” he said, noting they handed out at least 800 pamphlets. “It went really well.”