B.C. board orders Amazon and Delta warehouse union to binding arbitration

British Columbia’s Labour Relations Board has ordered Amazon and Unifor to conclude a first collective agreement through binding arbitration for workers at the company’s Delta warehouse.

In a Tuesday decision, associate chair Andres Barker said the parties must use one arbitrator. If Amazon and Unifor cannot agree on an appointee within seven days, the board will appoint one.

Amazon rejected a mediator’s arbitration recommendation in June, preferring direct negotiations that could include a strike or lockout. The board ruled in February that Amazon breached the provincial labour code by excluding the Delta unionized workers from scheduled wage increases given elsewhere in the company.

Spokesperson Sam Stephenson said Amazon will appeal and seek a pause in arbitration until decertification votes are counted. He said bargaining has been underway since October 2025 and that the parties have agreed on many items.

Unifor western regional director Gavin McGarrigle welcomed the ruling and said the mediator found Amazon’s conduct had caused the bargaining impasse.