Amazon.com Inc's decision to close all seven of its warehouses in the Canadian province of Quebec an terminate more than 1,900 workers is prompting legal action from the affected union.

The Federation of National Trade Unions will petition a court to annul the layoffs and order the reopening of the warehouses. It will also ask for payment of compensation and damages, the union said in a statement Tuesday...

"What is calls its 'new business model' is just an attempt to circumvent its obligations under the Labour Code, "Federation President Caroline Senneville said in the statement. "The court should recognize that this scheme violates the law and it can then order the reinstatement of Amazon's workers."

The union had been negotiating with Amazon since July to create a collective agreement for 300 employees at a warehouse in Laval, a suburb of Montreal. The closures were announced on Jan. 22, less than a year after the Laval workers unionized. Amazon said at the time that the decision was not related to the unionization effort.

Amazon spokesperson Barbara Agrait said returning to a third-party delivery model will allow the company to provide "even more savings to our customers over the long run," It's complying with federal and provincial laws, she said...

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