Amazon Workers Demand Government Intervention as Quebec Warehouses Shut Down

We Amazon workers call the Prime Minister of Canada, the Prime Minister of Quebec, the Canadian Minister of Industry M. Champagne, the Quebec Minister of Labor M. Boulet, as well as all elected representatives to act immediately to ensure justice for workers.

We call for solidarity from unions and all workers in Quebec and Canada in the fight of Amazon employees against a company that attacks hard-won labor standards by generations.

Our claims :

Overturn Amazon warehouse closures—keep jobs in Quebec. Otherwise

CNESST Recognition of all Amazon workers, including drivers, as direct Amazon employees, and respecting their rights related to collective dismissal.

One year of compensation with benefits for all workers laid off starting January 2025, regardless of their status (white badge, blue badge or subcontractor).

Terminate all government contracts with Amazon, whether Purchase Agreements or AWS (Amazon Web Services).

Recover taxpayers’ money—Amazon must repay all subsidies and public assistance received since its deployment in Quebec.

Strengthen labor laws to prevent companies from using closures and subcontracting as a means to repress workers and strip them of their basic rights.

We are also calling for a boycott of Amazon products

Amazon’s mass layoffs of more than 4,500 workers is not just an attack on those who lose their jobs; it’s an attack on the rights, dignity and future of all workers. This is one of the largest permanent collective layoffs by a single company in Quebec over the last 50 years and more. This sets a dangerous precedent, because Amazon is neither in financial difficulty nor is it actually leaving Quebec.

This wave of layoffs is all the more upsetting when Amazon workers were considered “essential” during the pandemic. That they put their health on the line to keep Amazon’s operations in Quebec running, while the company made record profits. Today Amazon is disposing of us like disposable objects with no consideration for our well being or our future.

Those 4,500 workers will now seek simultaneous jobs in the Montreal area, where the unemployment rate is already 6.7% and is expected to continue to rise. At the same time, up to 100,000 people in Quebec could lose their jobs due to customs tariffs, according to Prime Minister François Legault. The economic outlook is bleak, yet Amazon has offered workers only the strict minimum required by the law—no real support, no transition plan, no departure pay beyond what is required by the law.

The Law on Mass Layoffs is based on the principle that the higher the number of workers being laid off at the same time, the stronger the pressure on the labor market and social services. To mitigate this impact, the law provides that when 300 or more workers are laid off simultaneously, they must receive 16 weeks of compensation (or notice)—giving them enough time to return to work without saturating the system.

But here, we’re talking about more than 4,500 workers—all in the Montreal area—looking for a job at the same time, in an already challenging economic context. This represents 15 times the maximum threshold provided by law, and yet the same outdated compensation limit applies. As businesses grow and mass layoffs become more frequent and significant, the law needs to be updated to increase the number of weeks of compensation (or notice) for these large-scale layoffs, ensuring adequate protection for workers.

Workers are asking themselves a legitimate question: Why is Amazon closing its warehouses if it doesn’t leave Quebec? Some are even asking for a government inquiry into the reasons behind this closure. Amazon is one of the wealthiest companies in the world, with colossal financial resources at its disposal. Yet instead of negotiating with workers or investing in better conditions, she abandons them without accountability.

Amazon claims workers can apply to its warehouses in other provinces but refuses to offer relocation financial assistance or other significant support. For the majority of workers, this makes any transfer impossible, leaving them with no real alternative.

We’re not asking for anything out of the ordinary—we’re simply asking for the support of Quebec and Canada’s political class so that workers have the time and means to reposition themselves in the labor market. The layoffs aren’t just about Amazon employees; it will also put pressure on social services, unemployment programs and the economy in general. Government must take action.

Government must act and protect employees—Amazon must answer for their actions

Amazon’s decision to close operations in Quebec sets a dangerous precedent. If Amazon can lay off thousands of workers without any consequences, what will stop other multinationals from doing the same?

It is about defending the values of Quebec and Canada against the logic of profit at all costs of a gigantic foreign company. Amazon came here, exploited workers, cashed taxpayer money, and now leaves without being held accountable for their actions—this is unacceptable.

This lack of predictability and respect for workers may be common practice in the U.S., but that’s not how we do things here. In Quebec and Canada, there are values of fairness, equality and respect that dignify and protect all workers. All these values that we know in the world of work are the result of past struggles and this massive dismissal puts these gains down.

Allowing Amazon to treat Quebec workers like disposable staff is letting foreign companies impose their rules on our economy. Many companies in Quebec and Canada are foreign. We, Amazon workers, are involuntary warning takers—what happens to us today could happen to others if nothing is done.

For our governments, this occasion requires them to send a clear and firm message: “Lays off this magnitude, without consideration for workers, will not be accepted or tolerated.” “The Quebec economy must not be at the mercy of foreign multinationals who have no loyalty to the workers who generate their profits.”

For thousands of Amazon employees—including asylum seekers, international students and families relying on that income—this job isn’t just a job, it’s about survival. They can’t be left defenseless in the face of big corporate greed.

This struggle is more than a job—it’s about justice, dignity, and a future.

Amazon workers have suffered high rates of injuries, often unrecognized by the company with many employees suffering long-term health issues. This massive shutdown confirms Amazon’s total disregard for those who built its success. The company leaves without taking any responsibility for the damage it leaves behind.

We the disposable Amazon workers refuse to let Amazon abandon Quebec workers. We refuse to let the government stay silent.

We are calling on all citizens to contact their political representatives at all levels (provincial and federal deputies, mayors, ministers of Labor and Industry). Demand that they take a stand and act to stop Amazon getting away with it without consequences.