LCBO workers’ tentative deal on hold as accusations fly with employer | CBC News

A tentative agreement reached between the LCBO and the union representing its workers Friday was put on hold the same day, with talks continuing on their return to work amid the first strike in the corporation’s history.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), which represents about 9,000 liquor store employees, has demanded that management sign a return-to-work protocol. The LCBO, which operates more than 680 retail stores, has accused the union of bargaining in bad faith.

Both sides announced a tentative agreement had been reached on Friday morning to end the two-week strike. 

But by Friday afternoon, OPSEU said the LCBO was refusing to sign a return-to-work protocol that would see workers return to the job on Monday. 

After a brief news conference by the union, both sides returned again to the bargaining table.

“We can confirm that negotiations on the return-to-work protocol are still ongoing,” Kim Johnston, spokesperson for OPSEU, said in an email on Friday night.

More than 9,000 workers walked off the job on July 5, closing retail outlets across the province. 

“A return-to-work protocol is necessary for workers to go back to work in the event of a strike,” union representative Katie Arnup said at a news conference. “Without that document signed, we do not have a deal. The strike continues.”

Less than an hour later, the LCBO released a statement saying the union had introduced a new set of demands “that should have been dealt with at the bargaining table” after a tentative deal was reached. It said it planned to file an unfair labour practice complaint against the union.

“To introduce a new set of demands after reaching a tentative agreement amounts to bad faith bargaining,” the statement said.

LCBO releases details of agreement

According to the LCBO, the tentative agreement signed on Friday includes wage increases of eight per cent over three years, an additional 7.8 per cent for the lowest-paid workers and a special wage adjustment for certain trade positions in its warehouse.

It also includes converting about 1,000 casual workers to permanent part-time status, hiring 60 permanent full-time employees in its warehouse operations and improved access to benefits for casual part-time employees who work 1,300 hours and 1,000 hours.

It also includes improved mental health benefits and severance provisions, the Crown corporation said.

The LCBO said the signed agreement provides “no retail store closures related to marketplace expansion for life of the collective agreement.” A non-binding joint union-management committee will decide the best way to implement marketplace plans.

Management also agreed to provide letters of agreement to limit LCBO convenience outlets to 400, limit contracting out and increase the volume of product at warehouses that serve retail outlets by 1.25 million cases.

Province’s plan to expand alcohol sales at issue

The union has said Premier Doug Ford’s plan to make pre-mixed cocktails readily available across other stores was at the heart of the negotiations.

The plan will allow all 8,000-plus convenience stores and grocery stores in the province to sell beer, wine and ready-to-drink cocktails. 

The union says the expansion could lead to thousands of job losses for LCBO workers within a few years.

It’s also looking for the province to guarantee wage increases and is seeking “more stable and permanent jobs.”