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Two weeks ago, Amazon decided that it would rather close of all of its Quebec warehouses than negotiate with the union at its DXT4 warehouse in Laval. Less than 24 hours after the closure a boycott movement emerged in the Montreal area.
To learn more, The North Star spoke with Louisa Worrell, the co-spokesperson for the "Here, we boycott Amazon" campaign. She and other concerned citizens have spent the last two weeks spreading the boycott message across the province through flyers, posters, and social media.
"We're here to encourage everyone to organize in a social boycott movement to make Amazon understand that their anti-union actions are unacceptable, and we're not going to back down," Worrell explained. "I believe in the right to unionize. If we can't unionize, we're really, really in trouble. So it's really important that we defend those rights with the boycott. I myself was laid off by a multinational six months ago, so I understand what these workers are going through."
Worrell says response to the campaign has been quite positive. "People are really upset with Amazon. They think it's terrible. Then there are a lot of people who say, 'I've already done it. I'm already boycotting.' In the end, it's a spontaneous movement. A lot of people have told me, 'As soon as I heard the news, I closed my account. I unsubscribed.' So, our idea is just to channel that, to organize it so that it becomes a political force."
STTAL-CSN, the union which represents the DXT4 workers in Laval, has signalled its support for the boycott campaign, alongside many other unions, organizations and community groups.
The boycott campaign is collaborating with the STTAL to support the thousands of workers who will be laid off over the next month. A demonstration to show support for the fired workers will take place on Wednesday, February 5th at 9:00 a.m. in front of the DXT4 Warehouse.
When asked if she had a message for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Louisa Worrell pulled no punches: "You're in Quebec here. Bezos, watch your step. Don't mess with us, 'cause you don't know what you're getting into. We're willing to go to great lengths to defend our rights. So think twice before you try to pull the wool over our eyes, because we're going to fight back."