Updated on 22 October 2026 at 15h31
This article written in french by Stéphane St-Amour was automatically translated using AI
In a ruling issued on October 16, the Quebec Superior Court dismissed Amazon’s application for judicial review challenging the legality of a decision rendered by the Administrative Labour Tribunal (ALT) on October 22, 2024, in the case involving the unionization of 230 employees at the DXT4 warehouse in Laval. The facility was closed in the winter of 2025, along with the six other warehouses operated by the e-commerce giant in Quebec.
In essence, the American multinational was challenging the constitutionality of Quebec’s union certification process, arguing that the absence of a mandatory secret ballot infringed on employees’ freedom of association.
As a result, the Tribunal rejected Amazon’s request to revoke the union’s certification. The employer had challenged the investigation conducted by an ALT labour relations officer to determine whether the union was representative of the employees.
In this regard, Quebec Superior Court Justice Catherine Piché upheld the conclusion reached by Administrative Judge Irène Zaïkoff two years earlier: the grounds put forward by the applicant were based solely on suspicions, assumptions or hearsay.
Reactions
“Amazon’s legal guerrilla warfare has hit a wall once again,” said CSN President Caroline Senneville on Monday, on the website of the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN).
“However, it is deeply regrettable that these delaying tactics, which were pervasive in the other lawsuit concerning [the closures of its warehouses in Quebec], are postponing justice and compensation for the hundreds of workers who lost their jobs in January 2025.”
The union federation noted that “Justice Catherine Piché has reaffirmed the principles set out by the ALT.” It argued that Quebec’s Labour Code excludes employers from proceedings concerning a union’s “representative character” and the method used to verify it, in order to protect the confidentiality of union membership and prevent any form of employer interference or retaliation.
“This victory is excellent news and something we can celebrate,” wrote Bertrand Guibord, president of the Conseil central du Montréal métropolitain (CCMM–CSN), in a blog post yesterday. “The fight to obtain justice for the workers brutally dismissed by Amazon is not over, but this is an essential step forward that will allow legal proceedings to move ahead.”
At the time of publication, Amazon’s spokesperson had not responded to an email sent yesterday afternoon.
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