Workers at two more Indigo bookstores vote to unionize, bringing total to three

TORONTO — Workers at two more Indigo Books and Music Inc. stores have voted in favour of unionization, bringing the total to three locations.

Bookstore employees at an Indigo in Montreal and a Chapters in Coquitlam, B.C., have voted to join a union, following on the heels of workers at an Indigo in Mississauga, Ont..

Kevin Shimmin, a national representative with United Food and Commercial Workers Canada, says the Mississauga and Coquitlam stores have unionized with UFCW while the Montreal store is with another union in Quebec.

He says workers at other Indigo stores have expressed an interest in unionizing, with some signing union cards, but so far there are no other formal applications to unionize.

Shimmin says the company has responded to the unionization efforts with promises to improve wages and working conditions at stores across the country. 

But he says some of those promises have already been broken, such as continuing to need workers to clean customer washrooms — a significant concern for workers during COVID-19.

Indigo did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:IDG).

The Canadian Press