Amazon illegally imposed a wage freeze on unionized employees, according to a ruling by the B.C. Labour Relations Board. Warehouse workers in Delta B.C., represented by Unifor, did not receive their scheduled wage increases at the end of 2025. The complaint filed by Unifor said the employer blamed the union “coming in” for the wage freeze.
At the same time, workers in and around the Vancouver area received their annual wage increase. The warehouse in Delta is the only unionized Amazon facility in Canada. Unifor National representative, Mario Santos, called Amazon’s actions an anti-union tactic.
“Amazon wants to punish workers who have been actively engaged in bargaining a fair collective agreement. Amazon wants you to blame the union,” Santos wrote in a letter to Unifor members at the Delta warehouse. “The facts are this: there is nothing in the law prohibiting wage increases during your first year of unionization.”
The B.C. Labour Relations Board found this action to be in violation of section 45 of the Labour Relations Code which states that employers cannot alter a term or condition of employment within 12 months of a union certification or until a collective agreement is reached. The ruling will likely result in over $1 million being paid out to the Delta warehouse workers.
“This decision confirms what Amazon workers have been saying all along—the company broke the law by singling out unionized workers for unfair treatment,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “No worker should be punished for exercising their legal right to join a union, and today’s ruling sends a clear message that Amazon is not above the law.”
Workers at the Delta Amazon Warehouse are the only unionized Amazon workers in Canada. The corporation is infamous for its anti-labour actions that have affected their employees.
Last year, Amazon abruptly closed seven facilities in Quebec after a facility north of Montreal unionized and began efforts to secure a collective agreement. Before a deal could be reached, Amazon shut down operations in the province, leaving 1,700 permanent employees and 250 temporary workers without jobs.
The Confédération des syndicats nationaux, which represented the unionized Amazon workers in Quebec, is fighting for the province’s labour tribunal to overturn Amazon’s decision. Hearings began in September.
The road to unionization for Amazon workers in Canada has been tumultuous. The victory of the recent complaint filed by Unifor marks a step towards the first collective agreement with Amazon in the country.
Unifor said it would make efforts to expedite the process given the track record of the shipping giant. The union is asking for arbitration to avoid further delay and harm.
