A group of warehouse workers in central Alberta could become the first Amazon employees in Canada to hold a unionization vote, and the union behind the campaign says they wonB次元官网网址檛 be the last.

Teamsters Local Union 362 said Tuesday it has filed for a unionization vote at the Amazon warehouse in Nisku, just south of Edmonton. The Alberta Labour Relations Board must verify the application before a date is set, but the union expects a vote to take place before the end of the year.

The Teamsters say this is the first step in an organizing campaign designed to bring Amazon to the bargaining table.The union says it has been in contact with workers employed at Amazon facilities in and around Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Milton, Cambridge and Kitchener.

B次元官网网址淲e have local unions across the country who are building relationships with Amazon workers as we speak. The same thing is going on in the United States,B次元官网网址� said Teamsters Canada spokesman Christopher Monette. B次元官网网址�(Nisku) certainly wonB次元官网网址檛 be the last.B次元官网网址�

The news comes one day after Amazon Canada announced it will hire 15,000 new warehouse and distribution workers in communities across the country this fall to support its ongoing Canadian expansion plans.

Amazon also announced it will increase wages for its front-line, hourly employees in Canada to between $17 an hour and $21.65 an hour, up from its current starting wage of around $16 an hour.

Monette said he believes the wage increases are a response to the unionB次元官网网址檚 ongoing Amazon campaign. But he said those wages are still far below the $24.50 to $31.93 per hour that warehouse workers can make at comparable Teamsters-organized companies. He added that Amazon has also recently done away with a performance-based bonus system that was worth between $100 and $300 a month, meaning some workers donB次元官网网址檛 think theyB次元官网网址檒l actually receive more money on their paycheques even with the wage increase.

The demanding work pace and issues of health and safety are also a concern, Monette said.

B次元官网网址淎mazon workers are being asked to pick an item every nine to 12 seconds. ItB次元官网网址檚 a pace that is hard on the body,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e just think Amazon workers deserve better, and Amazon has the capacity to treat its workers in a more fair way.B次元官网网址�

Amazon has a history of snuffing out union efforts before they can spread. A failed unionization drive in Alabama this spring was the biggest in AmazonB次元官网网址檚 history and only the second time that an organizing effort from within the company had come to a vote.

That means the Teamsters will likely have a tough fight ahead of them, said Richard Powers, associate professor with the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

B次元官网网址淚 think it will be (difficult), only because of who theyB次元官网网址檙e dealing with,B次元官网网址� Powers said. B次元官网网址淎s weB次元官网网址檝e seen in the United States, Amazon has gone to great lengths to keep unions out.B次元官网网址�

Still, Powers said the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the balance of power between employees and employers. Many employers in the retail, service and logistics industries are dealing with labour shortages as workers B次元官网网址� fed up with low wages and the health risks associated with potentially coming into contact with the virus on the job B次元官网网址� quit in significant numbers.

B次元官网网址淚f they (the Teamsters) are successful in Canada, it will give them a huge boost to doing the same in the United States,B次元官网网址� Powers said. B次元官网网址淭he big winner in this is going to be the employees, because Amazon is going to have to respond.B次元官网网址�

Amazon Canada currently has 25,000 full-time and part-time employees in 25 communities across five provinces. The company is growing rapidly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting boom in online shopping. Amazon now has 46 warehouse, logistics and delivery facilities in Canada compared with 30 in mid-2020. More growth announcements are expected later this year, according to the company.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In an interview last week, Sumegha Kumar, director of Canadian customer fulfilment operations for Amazon Canada, said the company offers access to health, dental and vision benefits, as well as training and education programs to all employees regardless of their position or tenure.

She said the companyB次元官网网址檚 move to increase wages is way to stay competitive.

B次元官网网址淥ur business is expanding a lot, and we want to continue to stay focused on our customers, so we obviously have needs around hiring and retaining top talent.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擜manda Stephenson, The Canadian Press