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News & Commentary

April 24, 2024

Jacqueline Rayfield

Jacqueline Rayfield is a student at Harvard Law School.

In today’s News and Commentary, workers in Montreal organize the first Amazon warehouse union in Canada and Fordham Graduate Student Workers reach a tentative agreement with the university.

After months of rallying and recent contract negotiations, Fordham Graduate Student Workers union (FGSW-CWA Local 1104) reached a tentative agreement with university administration. This win comes after a 98 percent supermajority strike authorization vote from the union just two weeks ago. Top issues for members included stipends, health insurance subsidies, and high university fees which can cost up to 15% of workers’ pay.

Workers at a Montreal Amazon warehouse filed a request to be the first Amazon union in Canada. This request directs the Administrative Labor Tribunal to validate the workers’ signatures in order to create the union. Members would not be required to vote, but Amazon could still challenge the list of employees in the union. Workers themselves are convinced that most members of their workplace are in favor of the new union.

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