TORONTO – Unionized employees of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) voted in favour of strike action if contract negotiations with the province break down.
Members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), which represents more than 7,000 LCBO employees, voted in favour of strike action late Tuesday by a margin of 95 per cent.
“That number should send a pretty powerful message to LCBO management that their own employees are profoundly dissatisfied with the pace of negotiations,” said OPSEU president Warren Thomas, in a press release.
“I’ve been a union activist for more than 30 years and seldom do we witness that kind of number on a strike vote, especially considering how many liquor board employees we represent,” he added. “It’s one of the largest units in OPSEU.”
The union’s four-year contract with the LCBO expired on March 31.
Denise Davis, chair of the union’s bargaining team, said it is fighting to build and maintain good jobs for its members and their families.
“Regrettably, the LCBO seems to want to destroy the good jobs we’ve taken years to build,” said Davis. “What we seek is a good quality of lives for our families, opportunities for our children and the ability to retire in dignity. We believe these are goals we share with everyone in Ontario.”
Contract talks are set to resume Wednesday with bargaining dates scheduled towards the end of April.
The union said there is no immediate plans to walk off the job.
“Let’s be clear: we have no plans to take job action,” said Thomas. “But let’s be clear about something else: we expect the LCBO to return to the bargaining table with a determination to negotiate those issues that our members have identified as most important to them but for which management refuses to discuss.”
The LCBO said it is disappointed with the strike mandate.
“It is not unusual for a union to have a strike vote during the collective bargaining process,” said Bob Peter, LCBO President & CEO, in a press release. “Collective bargaining is scheduled to continue until mid-May. We’re looking forward to getting back to the bargaining table and working toward an agreement that is fair and in keeping with the economic realities and recent public sector agreements.”
LCBO workers voted in favour of strike action in 2005 and 2009 during the collective bargaining process.
The two sides reached agreements without a strike or lockout on both occasions.
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