LCBO strike averted at last minute as tentative deal reached

The looming LCBO strike that has been threatening a dry Canada Day in Ontario has been averted at the last minute.

Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) President Warren (Smokey) Thomas has announced that a tentative agreement has been reached with LCBO management.

Just two months ago, a strike vote received a 93% backing from union employees as they described LCBO management’s “complete lack of respect for workers.”

According to a release, details of the new agreement will not be disclosed until they have been shared with workers, but that the deal “comes as the result of the tireless efforts of these members, both at the bargaining table and across the province.”

“I want to thank these workers for taking a stand against the negative impacts of precarious work, which is a sad fact of life for far too many workers today,” said Thomas. “Across Ontario, far too many people are stuck in low-wage, part-time, contract positions. We saw over the course of these negotiations that challenging that precarity was an issue that resonated for many in the public.

“In particular, I want to thank all the members of the public who, over the past few months, shared words and messages of support with these workers, whether in their workplaces, at information pickets, or online.”

Denise Davis, the union’s bargaining team chair, has said that the bargaining team is unanimously recommending the deal to their members.

Charles Sousa, Ontario’s Minister of Finance, issued the following statement on the tentative deal:

I am pleased that the negotiating teams of the LCBO and the OPSEU Liquor Board Employees Division (LBED) have been able to come to a tentative agreement.

This is good news for LCBO workers and for the people of our province.

I want to thank both parties for their hard work and their efforts to come to a mutual agreement in the interests of all parties, including the people of Ontario.

A ratifying date for the new agreement has yet to be set.

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