Oct 31, 2026
Amazon used an artificial-intelligence tool to assess the likelihood of workers unionizing at Canadian warehouses. It raises questions about how employee information feeds into the company’s response to organizing.
The documents, which were disclosed during proceedings involving Amazon and Unifor at the British Columbia Labour Relations Board, describe a system called Atlas used across more than 50 warehouses in Canada, the United States and Europe.
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For workers, the concerns go beyond privacy. Union organizing can give employees more say over wages, benefits and working conditions. Unifor says the documents show Amazon views those efforts as a threat to its business. Amazon denies that Atlas is a surveillance tool and says people, not AI, decide how to respond to employee feedback.
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Warehouses received scores for unionization risk
According to internal documents obtained by The Globe and Mail, Atlas used hundreds of data points to assess workplace conditions and potential labour activity.
One ranking placed facilities on a five-point scale, with the lowest tier indicating reported workplace disruption. A separate score ranged from 100 to 900, with higher numbers considered more favourable by Amazon.
The company’s YVR2 warehouse in Delta, B.C., scored 169 and fell into the lowest tier. Workers there were certified with Unifor in July 2025.
The documents also classified union card signing, protests and work stoppages as serious employee-relations events.
Justin Gniposky, Unifor’s director of organizing, told the Globe the material reinforced the union’s view that Amazon sees organizing as “a threat and a risk to its business.”
Several questions remain unanswered. The documents don’t make clear when they were created, what information the system used, or how it was collected. Amazon also did not tell the Globe whether Atlas is still used in Canada.
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Amazon says humans review employee feedback
Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson told the Globe that the framework helps identify workplace trends and prioritize improvements. He said its inputs include safety incidents, access to leadership and training completion.
Stephenson disputed the surveillance label and said that Amazon requires a human review to interpret the information. However, he did not specifically answer whether Amazon monitored employee behaviour or communications to generate the scores.
Gniposky also told the newspaper that Unifor was not aware of Amazon secretly monitoring Canadian warehouse employees without their knowledge or consent.
The B.C. dispute has direct consequences for pay
The Atlas reporting comes as Amazon’s Delta employees await their first collective agreement.
In its latest posted bargaining update, dated Oct. 16, Amazon said arbitration sessions had concluded, and the parties were awaiting a decision. The company also said it continued to appeal labour board decisions, including proceeding with arbitration before processing a decertification application.
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Pay has already been the subject of a separate ruling. In February, the board found Amazon breached B.C.’s Labour Relations Code by withholding an increase at YVR2 that it had applied at other local facilities. It ordered equivalent retroactive increases, initially staying implementation pending written reasons. That decision concerned wages, not Atlas.
What workers can ask about their information
Privacy rules vary by jurisdiction. In B.C., employers can collect some employee information without consent if they reasonably need it to establish, manage or end an employment relationship. They must tell employees beforehand what they plan to collect and why.
If you’re concerned about workplace monitoring, ask your employer’s privacy officer what information is being collected, whether it’s used to assess union activity and who sees the results.
B.C. employees can also request access to their own personal information in writing. Some legal exceptions apply, but employers cannot charge employees to access their personal information.
If you suspect you’ve been disciplined or lost work because of union activity, keep copies of relevant notices, schedules and correspondence, and contact your union promptly. In B.C., workers who don’t have a collective agreement can also file an unfair labour practice application directly with the labour relations board.
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Colin Graves is a Winnipeg-based financial writer and editor whose work has been featured in publications such as Time, MoneySense, MapleMoney, Retire Happy, The College Investor, and more. Before becoming a full-time writer, Colin was a bank manager for over 15 years.
