LCBO strike

[spankingman]

The stores will remain open (or most of them) but you will have to cross the line to get there. And in case you didn't know the LCBO employees are being represented by OPSEU this time around.

OPSEU One of the most miltant Labour Unions around.Im glad that bitch Cassleman is gone.

 

[spankingman]

I have 0% respect for ANY union. I could give a shit if they went on strike. I would stock up for a bit and then drive over the border and buy my booze...

Dont think that will help as I am SURE Customs will be doing A LOT of searches if LCBO goes out!!!

 

[The LoLRus]

It might be privatization but I was wondering if anyone knows for sure.

I hope they do privatize!

Back in the 90's I used to date a girl that worked at head office (lakeshore & Jarvis).
She would do absolutely nothing all day. And with a smirk on her face tell me its virtually impossible for her to be fired. Damn, talk about a recession-proof job

 

[I Claudius]

How much is the hourly wage for an LCBO clerk who is on permanent staff & has a few years into the job ?

 

[Mao Tse Tongue]

Fuck yeah I'll cross the picket line.

Grade eight edumacation idiots getting $30 an hour for the most menial job every created on God's earth. For fuck's sake.

 

[The LoLRus]

It is indeed over privatization

http://www.nupge.ca/news_2005/n09jy05a.htm

LCBO workers set July 28 strike date to stop privatization

5,400 workers will walk if necessary to keep billions in future liquor profits for the benefit of Ontario taxpayers

Toronto - Ontario liquor workers have set July 28 as a strike deadline to stop privatization of the world's most profitable publicly-owned liquor agency and to win a fair contract from the province's Liberal government.

"It could be a hot, dry summer if the LCBO continues its drive towards privatization of Ontario liquor stores," warns the Liquor Board Employees Division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE).

Union members handed leaflets at major LCBO outlets across the province Saturday urging members of the public to support continued public ownership of the LCBO. "Let's keep it public," the leaflets read.

"Great service, selection and prices.... The LCBO is owned directly by the people of Ontario. That means the more than $1 billion we generate each year in profits alone goes to pay for health care, education and other vital public services across the province."

The OPSEU bargaining team is asking LCBO staff to reject the employer's (latest) offer in a vote to be held July 18-21. It has also set a strike deadline of July 28.

The decision follows almost 50 days of bargaining in which LCBO management has refused to abandon concession demands that would eliminate job security protections and set the stage for privatizing liquor stores across the province.

OPSEU has formally asked a provincial conciliation officer to issue a "no board" report in the dispute — a legal step that starts the clock ticking toward a legal strike date of July 28.

"Our members simply want the LCBO to negotiate a contract that's fair to employees" says liquor division chairman John Coones.

"We want to avoid a labour disruption and keep the stores open this summer. But we also want to keep the LCBO in public hands and that may take a fight."

Private sector greed

Annual LCBO profits topped $1 billion for the first time last year, fanning the appetite of private business interests anxious to get their hands on a piece of the action.

The government, still coping with massive deficits left behind by the Harris Conservatives, denies that outright privatization is in the works but acknowledges that a variety of options are under consideration, including transforming the agency into a private income trust.

Either way, the impact on taxpayers would be much the same. Profits that now flow into provincial coffers and help to pay for a wide variety of provincial programs would be turned over to private investors in return for a short-term infusion of cash.

OPSEU, supported by a large segment of Ontario voters, opposes the move on grounds that gaining a few billion dollars up front would be a poor trade-off for all the cumulative billions in future profits that would be lost.

Opponents of privatization also cite bad experiences elsewhere where liquor sales have been privatized.

"Privatization of liquor outlets in Alberta has led to higher prices, increases in alcohol-related crime, increased law enforcement costs, increased underage consumption and reduced government revenue," OPSEU says.

Polls show that two-thirds of Ontarian residents consistently oppose LCBO privatization. LCBO employees have been working without a contract since March 31. NUPGE


More Information:

John Coones, Chair, OPSEU Liquor Board Employees Division - (647) 292-4401
David Cox, OPSEU Communications - (416) 443-8888 x 8314 or cell (416)-788-9197

I did a major LOL over their "poll" results

 

[Mao Tse Tongue]

Privatization will NEVER happen. Trust me.

BTW, "job security" for Liquor store drones? Give me a fucking break. Welcome to the real world, where people who don't work government jobs get a quarter of the pay and no job security. The real world beckons.

 

[amber-jade]

Fuck yeah I'll cross the picket line.

Grade eight edumacation idiots getting $30 an hour for the most menial job every created on God's earth. For fuck's sake. :

kind of sounds like the auto workers




.

 

[hunter001]

It is indeed over privatization

It think you missed...

Web posted by NUPGE: 9 July 2005

 

[hunter001]

Back in the 90's I used to date a girl that worked at head office (lakeshore & Jarvis).

Even if it was privatized it is unlikely that the "girl" would lose her head office job. If they did privatize the head office would like be busy trying to "control" the private outlets.

 

[RayFinkel]

Will you cross the picket line?

Take a wild fuckin' guess......

or at least I'll try to.


.

 

[Hangman]

The stores will remain open (or most of them) but you will have to cross the line to get there. And in case you didn't know the LCBO employees are being represented by OPSEU this time around.

I don't care if they're represented by the Holy Choir of Angels.

 

[rafterman]

When Alberta privatized the ALCB back in the early nineties number of outlets exploded. Not sure if prices and product offering were better but you can buy a bottle anywhere. The idea that government needs to be in the liquor retailing business is ludicrous.

 

[rosemount36]

I will not be crossing their picket line in the event of a strike.

The anti-union rhetoric of some posters shows a remarkable ignorance of the hard won rights won by the courage of our forefathers. Many died and suffered incredible privations to win the right to strike, the right to collective bargaining, the right to decent working conditions, the right to a decent working wage etc. Any of us who have had grandfathers who put it all on the line to win these rights are grateful to them. If you have some issue with how much money a worker makes, remember, no one put a gun to an employer's head to reach that settlement. It is part of the process. If times are tough and unions have to give concessions i.e. the CAW, well that is part of the reality of bargaining as well. It cuts both ways. I'm not in a union, but I damn well don't want to nullify the long way that labour has come just because I can't buy my favourite beverage of choice, if, and I stress if, a strike actually happens.

As far as privatizing the LCBO - two words Harris/407. No thanks!

 

[mac]

As far as privatizing the LCBO - two words Harris/407. No thanks!

apples and oranges....one is a utility and the other is a consumer service....you telling me governments run better consumer services than private enterprise. The far bigger issue is not privatize versus not go further and de-monopolize it. Allow competetion and the free market to dictate service, assortments, and pricing as is in the US...way better consumer value proposition...way way cheaper and much more convenient.

 

[TheNiteHwk]

HELLO... Easy Does It everyone...

Searched both google and yahoo...

All articles related to LCBO strike are from 2005.



STRIKE AVERTED AS LCBO REACHES TENTATIVE AGREEMENT WITH ITS UNIONIZED EMPLOYEES. 08:55 ET ... LCBO Supports the Launch of the Ontario Craft Brewers' Tourism ...
lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/media_releases/Archive


avoiding the first-ever strike in history at the LCBO: ... avoiding an LCBO strike was "maybe the most. important news of the summer, given the heat. ...
www.[B]opseu.org[/B]/insolidarity/fall2005final.pdf



<LMAO>

 

[rosemount36]

apples and oranges....one is a utility and the other is a consumer service....you telling me governments run better consumer services than private enterprise. The far bigger issue is not privatize versus not go further and de-monopolize it. Allow competetion and the free market to dictate service, assortments, and pricing as is in the US...way better consumer value proposition...way way cheaper and much more convenient.

A pay as you go highway is a consumer service not a utility. Public transportation is a utility - something the 407 isn't.

I agree, there would be a convenience factor if the LCBO was privatized and I have to admit that on occasion I have wished that I could purchase a little something after my local outlet had closed. My concerns, though are at least twofold: 1) How does the province make up the $1 Billion in lost revenue; and 2) the purchasing power of the LCBO is incredible. We get some great wines in quantities and prices that are unavailable to most privately run wine stores. Wine collectors will attest to this Would like to hear your thoughts on this.

 

[RayFinkel]

Searched both google and yahoo...

All articles related to LCBO strike are from 2005.

DAMN!

I was looking forward, for a few 'Punch Ups' a couple of times a week this summer.

 

[someone]

It seems like you may be mad at the wrong people. The employees are not the monopoly. Indeed, they are as much a victim of this monopoly as us consumers. I mean, it's not like you have other choices if you want to work in a liquor store.

Do you really think people have a preference to work in a liquor store as opposed to say a supermarket for any reason other than wages? The only reason liquor stores pay wages so much higher than other retail jobs is because their employer is making monopoly profits. If it was a privately owned competitive industry, the employer would have much more of an incentive to keep wages in line with that of other retail jobs as they would need to in order to stay in business.

Searched both google and yahoo...

All articles related to LCBO strike are from 2005.



STRIKE AVERTED AS LCBO REACHES TENTATIVE AGREEMENT WITH ITS UNIONIZED EMPLOYEES. 08:55 ET ... LCBO Supports the Launch of the Ontario Craft Brewers' Tourism ...
lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/media_releases/Archive


avoiding the first-ever strike in history at the LCBO: ... avoiding an LCBO strike was "maybe the most. important news of the summer, given the heat. ...
www.[B]opseu.org[/B]/insolidarity/fall2005final.pdf



<LMAO>

That explains why terb is the only place I have heard of this.

BTW, I would definitely be willing to cross picket lines.

 

[mac]

2) the purchasing power of the LCBO is incredible. We get some great wines in quantities and prices that are unavailable to most privately run wine stores.

LCBO does not have good prices. Go compare what Americans pay for the exact same wines. We are getting ripped off by virtue of the fact that a monopoly is setting prices. It should come as no great shock that we pay more. And while we are at it, that profit they run is because they rip us off with prices and it is just another form of tax.