Last month, Metro Vancouver Amazon workers based in Delta got the good news that they achieved union certification.
In response, Amazon said it would appeal the decision, and now we have the results of that appeal: the union certification has been upheld.
The B.C. Labour Relations Board’s (BCLRB) decision was scathing, and Unifor says that the BCLRB has criticized the tech giant in a stern rebuke.
However, Amazon does not plan on going quietly into the night.
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At the time of certification, Daily Hive received a statement from Amazon saying, “This decision is wrong on the facts and the law — it goes against what our employees have said they want, and deprives them of their right to make an informed decision.”
Certification was awarded on July 10, 2025, and it was upheld by the BCLRB after Unifor “exposed multiple violations of the B.C. Labour Code, including anti-union communications and a ‘deliberate and flagrant attempt’ to artificially inflate employee lists to defeat the unionizing effort.”
Initially, Unifor had announced that the board sided with it to award union certification to workers at an Amazon facility in Delta. Unifor, which represents over 320,000 workers in “every major area of the economy,” said that the certification was “against very difficult odds, but they’ve slayed the giant.”
Unifor National President Lana Payne celebrated the recent Aug. 5 decision to uphold certification and had a warning for employers.
“This is a message for all employers in British Columbia: do not interfere with the unionization process or suffer the consequences,” Payne said in a statement.
“Workers at all Amazon facilities deserve to be protected by a union, and we will continue to defend workers during collective bargaining and beyond,” Payne added.
The media release from Unifor said that the BCLRB harshly criticized Amazon’s actions.
“The BCLRB rebuked Amazon’s appeal and harshly criticized the company’s actions during the union drive, citing ‘abuse’ of the process to coordinate ‘an even more fundamental attack on its employees’ associational rights guaranteed by Section 4 of the Code and the Charter [and]…a direct attack on employee free choice,” Unifor said.
“Amazon now has no other choice but to abide by the law and begin good faith negotiations with workers at YVR2 to improve working conditions,” said Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle.
Despite the BCLRB upholding certification and McGarrigle’s comments, Amazon plans to keep fighting, according to another statement it sent to Daily Hive.
“We will appeal this decision because it’s wrong on the facts and the law, and it deprives our employees of their right to make an informed decision. We’re continuing to follow the legal process and will determine the right next steps once we have a decision on the appeal.”