The countdown to a possible July 5th strike by workers at LCBO stores like the ones in Perth, Smiths Falls, and Carleton Place, threatens a dryer than normal summer in Ontario.
Should that happen, the LCBO says they do have a plan in place to continue serving customers.
OPSEU’s Bargaining Chair Collen MacLeod says they take issue with the plan to accelerate the timeline to put wine, pre-mixed drinks, and beer into convenience stores, more grocery stores and big box stores.
MacLeod says going ahead with the plan would take millions of dollars away from the programs and services the LCBO supports, like their contributions to health care.
OPSEU President JP Hornick says Premier Doug Ford is giving away its crown jewel in the LCBO, as part of a trend.
Hornick says an alternate plan has been submitted to the Ford Government. No details have been made public at this point.
The union represents close to 10,000 LCBO employees who will be in a legal strike position at 12:01 am on July 5th.
In response, the LCBO has requested a third-party mediator to handle the talks.
In an earlier statement it said, “The LCBO does not want a strike,” adding, “Should a strike occur, LCBO has measures in place to ensure continued customer service and will provide updates to our customers and partners.”
Under Premier Ford’s accelerated plan, grocery stores will see increased inventory as early as August 1st, while convenience stores are slated to start selling select products starting on September 5th.