Amazon, workers ordered by B.C.’s labour board to reach deal via binding arbitration
VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s Labour Relations Board has ruled in favour of using binding arbitration to settle a labour dispute between Amazon and unionized workers at its warehouse in Metro Vancouver after the e-commerce giant fought the idea.
In a ruling issued Tuesday by associate chair Andres Barker, the board says it is ordering Amazon and Unifor — which represents the workers at the Delta, B.C., site — to “conclude their first collective agreement” through a single arbitrator.
The decision says the board will appoint an arbitrator if the two parties don’t agree on one within seven days.
Amazon rejected a mediator’s recommendations for arbitration in June, saying it wanted to continue the process of direct negotiation with Unifor, which included the right to strike or lockout.
