Headline
800 Amazon workers in B.C. secure historic union contract despite company opposition
ASM, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
November 14, 2026
About 800 Amazon warehouse workers in Delta, British Columbia, have secured what their union calls the first binding collective agreement for the company’s employees in North America, following a prolonged labour dispute over union representation and workplace conditions.
An independent arbitrator finalized the three-year contract on November 13, establishing legally binding terms for employees at Amazon’s YVR2 fulfillment centre.
The decision marks a significant development in efforts to unionize Amazon’s North American workforce, although the company continues to challenge the process that led to the contract.
Higher wages and stronger workplace protections
Workers covered by the contract will receive scheduled wage increases, bringing hourly pay rates to $29 by the end of its three-year term, according to Unifor, the Canadian union representing employees at the Delta warehouse.
Other provisions include enhanced severance protections of up to 18 weeks and an additional week of vacation for workers with at least 10 years of service.
Employees will also receive a grocery benefit, while seniority will determine certain statutory holiday scheduling decisions.
The contract creates a Women’s Advocate position and requires employee benefits to remain equivalent to or better than existing coverage.
Unifor National President Lana Payne welcomed the outcome, saying workers had secured enforceable protections after a difficult organizing campaign.
The union described the decision as a breakthrough for Amazon employees seeking collective bargaining rights across North America.
How the dispute reached arbitration
The contract follows more than a year of conflict over union certification and negotiations.
British Columbia’s Labour Relations Board certified Unifor Local 114 as the bargaining representative for YVR2 employees in July 2025.
The board found that Amazon had interfered with the organizing process, including by hiring additional employees during the union campaign. It also determined that the company had engaged in a prolonged anti-union campaign.
Those findings became central to the dispute over how employees could secure their first collective agreement.
Negotiations subsequently stalled, with disagreements over wages, workplace protections and the union’s ability to challenge employment conditions.
The Labour Relations Board ordered binding arbitration on August 4, 2026, after determining that Amazon’s conduct had affected the parties’ ability to reach a negotiated settlement.
An independent arbitrator then established the final terms after mediation failed to resolve the dispute.
Amazon disputes contract and union representation
Amazon has strongly criticized the outcome, arguing that employees were not given an opportunity to vote on the contract before it became binding.
- Ofori Agboka, the company’s vice-president responsible for employee experience, said the arbitration process prevented workers from deciding whether to accept the terms.
Amazon also maintains that many of the provisions are similar to benefits and employment conditions already offered at the warehouse.
The company raised particular concerns about mandatory union membership and dues, saying deductions could reach approximately $1,064 per employee during the first year.
Amazon’s objections extend beyond the contract itself.
According to the company, a group of YVR2 employees filed an application seeking to remove Unifor as their bargaining representative.
A decertification vote took place in July 2026, but the ballots remain sealed and uncounted.
Amazon argues that those votes should be counted before the union’s representation is treated as settled.
A group of employees has also sought judicial review in the British Columbia Supreme Court, challenging the arbitration process and requesting that implementation be halted until the decertification dispute is resolved.
What happens next?
Despite the ongoing legal challenges, the contract is binding and applies to employees in the YVR2 bargaining unit.
Amazon says union membership and dues deductions are now required for covered workers, although it intends to continue challenging the Labour Relations Board’s decisions.
Unifor plans to hold information sessions to explain the new workplace provisions and employees’ rights under the contract.
Both sides confirm that the contract has a three-year term, although their published statements give different expiry dates. Unifor lists November 13, 2029, while Amazon identifies October 31, 2029.
The contract covers only the Delta fulfillment centre and does not extend to Amazon’s other facilities across Canada.
The unresolved legal proceedings mean the dispute over union representation continues, even as employees begin operating under the arbitrator’s terms.
