Ontario liquor workers poised to walk - Canada - Canoe.ca


Ontario liquor workers poised to walk

By ANTONELLA ARTUSO, QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU CHIEF
The Toronto Sun

TORONTO -- Ontario's LCBO workers are poised to hit the bricks at midnight tonight if an agreement isn't reached with management over the use of casual employees at liquor stores.

If the roughly 6,000 unionized employees go on strike -- a first for the LCBO -- about 800 managers would step in to provide limited service.
Both sides in the dispute say a key issue is the agency's reliance on part-timers.

LCBO spokesman Chris Layton said the provincial booze agency maintains a staffing mix -- 43% full-time workers and 57% casual employees -- to ensure it can respond efficiently to fluctuating consumer demand.

"We actually have a lot more full-time employees than most retailers," Layton said. "But we need to have some flexibility because of the nature of the business ... to be able to staff up when the business spikes."

LCBO worker Craig Hadley, of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union -- which represents LCBO staff -- said casual employees receive no vacation, sick time or benefits and can be called in for as little as two hours work at a time.

Part-timers usually have to work sporadic schedules for as many as 15 years before landing a full-time position, he said.

"This isn't fair to them," Hadley said.

OPSEU has launched an advertising campaign that draws attention to the spending scandal at another government agency -- eHealth Ontario.

OPSEU spokesman Randy Robinson said the point of the ad blitz is to engage the Dalton McGuinty government in the bargaining process at the LCBO.

"And second of all to draw attention to the fact that it seems these days like the people at the top keep getting a lot of treats while the people at the bottom are struggling and scraping by, and certainly a lot of our members who are casuals fall into that category," Robinson said.

Alicia Johnston, a spokesman for Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, who provides government oversight to the LCBO, said the minister wouldn't comment on the ad campaign.

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I am so happy to live right next to Quebec.

This better not go on for long. People are going to get ****y.

I was thinking something like the Montgomery Bus Boycott. But no.

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Originally Posted by LaBellaVita
The last **** I saw, was so ****ing ugly it literally sent me into a depression. I became suicidal for a week.

actualy [sic] I have quite a blessed life if I'm honest. I have many people to love, hate few and have few money problem's [sic].... What more does a person need? Oh yeah and I have some kind of humbleness unlike you of course ^_^ ~ CarefulCarpenter

So they've got permanent position-employees, ie unionized, going to go on strike bc of the no-benefits 'casual' employees?

That's kind of...wow.

I wonder if the 'casual' employees can be/are in the union as well?

Well we had a big ol blow-up like this at my former employer
Which was an educational not-for-profit (HAHAHA!) --simply meaning that they got the tax breaks from everywhere all to hell, but made $$$$$$$ like they were printing it

Anyway it was all over the news some time back. Bc the "temp/casual" workers were actually working an average of nearly as many hrs per wk as the reg permanent position ones. Teh LAW got involved. Fair Labour Practices & all like that
It was a big stink
& eventually the company had to grumpily pay huge back wages for about 1500 past & current "casual" employees
Still no benefits tho.

But basically this current maybe-strike of yours, is about retail sales employees in state-run liqour stores?

Bc I was envisioning it from the thread title to be something like here in the states, the Jack Daniels or Jim Beam distillery shutting down! Which would bring the entire states of KY &TN to a screeching halt haha

I wanna know what happens.
They should just go ahead & sell booze at the local supermarkets & drug stores.
Problem solved

Chyia, reminded to be glad our states don't have "State" liqour stores any more

those ****ers make $18 and hour on a part time casul basis. it's always been nearly impossible to get full time status with the lcbo. in fact, they don't need it. plus, if you knew that signing on for a part time position...to ****in' bad. they could have found full time employment elsewhere.

no part time retail worker makes that much, nor should they.

i say **** the lcbo...dismantle it and allow alcohol to be sold in corner stores. these ****** bags should be happy they have jobs.

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