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Rally draws crowd to LCBO head office

“The people of Ontario paid to build the LCBO, paid to run the LCBO, and they get to benefit from the profits of the LCBO to put back into public services.” — Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU President

Toronto (18 April 2017) — Delegates from the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) convention brought the We Own It campaign message to the LCBO head office on April 7 to show their support for their members who work at the LCBO, and to call on management to respect the value of this public asset.

Hundreds of OPSEU/NUPGE members marched through downtown Toronto and along Lake Shore Boulevard, stopping traffic, and eventually filling the street in front of theLCBO office with signs that spoke to the bargaining team’s proposals for a better LCBO.

Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU President, spoke to the crowd about the important work done by members at the LCBO, and warned management not to underestimate the union’s commitment to getting a better deal for workers.

True owners of the LCBO remain the people of Ontario

“The people of Ontario paid to build the LCBO, paid to run the LCBO, and they get to benefit from the profits of the LCBO to put back into public services,” said Thomas.

Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida, First Vice-President/Treasurer, spoke to workers about the essential role they play in keeping communities safe across the province, saying to members that they “are the line that keeps our public safe, and the line that brings money to the public.”

Almeida promised that if it came to it, OPSEU/NUPGE members at the LCBO would have access to the union’s strike fund, now at more than $72 million, to make sure they got the fair deal they deserved.

Building a better LCBO for workers and Ontarians

The crowd also heard from Denise Davis, chair of the Liquor Board Employees Division (LBED) bargaining team, who laid out what A Better LCBO would look like. In a better LCBO, Davis said “no worker would be forced to work alone; all workers would have schedules that allowed them time with their families; casuals would have meaningful shifts; and workers would have job security in recognition of their loyalty and dedication to the success of the organization."

“The abuse of using temp agency workers to do bargaining unit work needs to stop. If there’s work to be done, the employer should hire these workers on.”

More information

Video of the LCBO rally