Unifor, Canada's largest private sector union, is bringing the Amazon unionization movement to Canada this week. After months of awareness and card-signing, Unifor has applied with the B.C. Labour Relations Board to represent two Amazon fulfillment centers in the Vancouver metropolitan area. These are the 109 Braid Street (New Westminster) and 450 Derwent Place (Delta) fulfillment centers.
For Americans unfamiliar with the process in British Columbia, here is how things will go for determining a union:
After the BCLRB processes the application, it will determine if a vote must be held. If the cards submitted by Unifor represent at least 45% of the eligible workforce at a facility, a vote may be called within five business days. If the cards represent more than 55%, union certification is granted and work begins on a first collective agreement.
Presumably Unifor already has the requisite 45%, and this is mostly a question of if they have greater or fewer than 55% of workers on board. As we've seen repeatedly in the US, more is definitely better when it comes to signing union cards—even unionization attempts where more than 60% of workers have signed on can and do fail (or just stall out from union busting and turnover), and Amazon in particular has a vicious track record with unionization campaigns and collective bargaining.