Provincial government workers to walk off the job at three Liquor Distribution Branch facilities

by Charlie Smith on Jul 2, 2012 at 11:59 am
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BCGEU president Darryl Walker says the government spurned a union offer to generate more revenue by opening liquor stores on Sundays.

When workers go on strike, the best way to get their message across is to hurt the employer in the pocketbook.

But that's not so easy for public-sector unions because when they're walking a picket line, the government sometimes saves money.

This explains the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union's decision to start its job action by walking off the job at three Liquor Distribution Branch facilities.

The Vancouver Wholesale Customer Centre at 3200 East Broadway will be picketed from 11:30 p.m. until the end of the evening shift tomorrow (July 3).

Tomorrow, pickets will be around the Kamloops distrbution warehouse and the Victoria Wholesale Customer Centre.

These types of roving job actions often lead the employer to impose a lockout. That can help generate more sympathy for workers among the general public.

BCGEU president Darryl Walker isn't making himself available for interviews today. Last Thursday, I had a chance to speak to him while cohosting the W2 Morning Radio Project.

At the time, he said that the union had proposed allowing Sunday liquor-store openings. The union has also suggested allowing deputy sheriffs to conduct traffic safety. These two measures, according to the BCGEU, would generate $300 million in additional revenues and savings each year.

The government turned the offer down, which is one reason why workers are on strike today.


Follow Charlie Smith on Twitter at twitter.com/csmithstraight.

Comments (3) Add New Comment
Paul J
Jul 3, 2012 at 7:14 am
The job action at the LDB not only focuses on the actual income source, it also underlines the complete lunacy of "privatising" the warehouse function. While a day's picket may touch the revenue for the Employer, giving the entire function away for a song means giving away certain revenue to a Lieberal friend forever. Couple this with the probability of higher consumer prices and that NO ONE in the industry supports the move and ask yourself --- What Is Really Going On Here !
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Gentleman Jack
Jul 3, 2012 at 8:51 am
What is going on here is exactly what every Government does---it is sometimes less, sometimes more obvious, but Governments of this sort exist only to remove rights from Group A, to give to Group B. And because of how bureaucracies work, any time a service is incorporated into government, it becomes vulnerable to re-sale to insiders. This is true of the judiciary, medicine, law, pharmacy, etc. etc.

The Law Society incorporated---the beginning of the end: 1884
Our Education system was sold in 1890--UBC was founded
Our Doctors were sold in 1886-- College of Physicians and Surgeons founded
Our Pharmacies were sold to the highest bidder in 1891--College of Pharmacists was founded

So, by 1892, Good Luck, kids! And here we are, after 100 years of living under a system that now wants to sell off the holy of holies: Liquor. Alcohol revenues are the lifeblood of any Government. I will not go into why. If you drink alcohol, you likely do not care. Any redirection of liquor revenue away from Government, to private industry, is nonsensical and contrary to the public interest. Anyone in a position of public trust who advocates such should be removed.

And NB, the Judiciary has not quite yet been sold. But it is hanging by a thread---they cannot unincorporate the judiciary or sell it off, but they can underfund it and render it useless, as is now the case in Canada, especially British Columbia.
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ron-j
Jul 3, 2012 at 11:28 pm
Strikr or no-strile.
Over paid stock clerkd.. br gone.
No wonder booze is so expensive.
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