A union representing tens of thousands of government workers says it will begin job action on Monday. The BC Union of General Employees issued the province a 72-hour strike notice Friday after months of negotiations. The union says it plans to set up picket lines at four BC Liquor Distribution Branch wholesale and distribution centers at 3:30 p.m. on Monday.
Delta Distribution Center– 7003 72nd St., Delta Kamloops Distribution Center – 9881 Dallas Dr., Kamloops Richmond Distribution Center – 3389 No 6 Rd., Richmond Victoria Wholesale Customer Center – 2291 Government St., Victoria
Union members at the Wholesale Customer Center and Customer Service Center (Cannabis Section) in Burnaby will also be participating in the job action, but there will be no queuing at that location.
“Liquor and cannabis retail outlets will not be part of this phase of industrial action,” BCGEU said in a press release early Monday morning. The strategy targets the pocketbook of the BC government. “Our bargaining committee looked at what services we could withdraw that could really motivate our employer, the government, to invite us back to the table with a really serious offer,” said Stephanie Smith, president of the BCGEU. He says the goal was to be influential but moderate the impact on the general public. “Our members are not asking for anything that MLAs in Victoria don’t already enjoy. Their wages are tied to inflation rates, the minimum wage is ultimately tied to inflation rates,” Smith said. The four distribution centers targeted represent 40 percent of all alcohol in the province. Industry experts say consumers will quickly see shortages on store shelves as the strike puts a damper on imported goods. “They brought the entire BC liquor distribution industry into their fight,” said Jeff Guignard of the Alliance of Beverage Licenses. Guignard says the province’s 670 private liquor stores and 8,000 pubs, bars and restaurants will be affected, as will the 200,000 people they employ. “The picketing wholesale centers supply alcohol to pubs, bars, restaurants, private liquor stores and government liquor stores as well. They do about $15 billion of economic activity in our industry, and all of that is unaffected.” Shoppers will still be able to pick up BC beer, wine and spirits, as these can be purchased directly from craft distilleries or breweries. “They’re trying to influence the government financially by targeting the distribution center where the government earns most of the $1.2 billion for alcohol, but it also doesn’t show consumers and frustrates them because we’re going to see inventory in our stores as well and that’s not our fault,” Guignard said. The BCGEU gave notice of the provincial government strike on Friday, but did not reveal what action it would take at the time. The most recent collective agreement between the union and the Civil Service Organization expired in April. Negotiations have been underway since February, but so far no agreement has been reached. In June, union members voted 95 per cent in favor of industrial action. They want five percent wage increases every year for two years or a cost-of-living increase, whichever is higher. PSA sent an offer directly to members last month, a deal that included a nearly 11 percent raise over three years, plus a $2,500 signing bonus per member. The BCGEU represents 33,000 workers, including firefighters, corrections officers and BC Liquor and Cannabis store employees. CTV News reached out to Treasury Secretary Selena Robinson for comment, but was told she was unavailable. Instead, the ministry issued a statement that read in part: “We remain committed to the collective bargaining process and reaching a fair agreement.” It says critical services will still be available during the strike. “The processes required through the Labor Relations Board set out basic service levels, ensuring that critical services for people continue,” the ministry said in a statement. The BCGEU would not reveal what the next step in labor action would be if the buy-sell lines do not prove effective.
