Collective Bargaining

Issue #5 • April 6, 2009

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“When working people do well, business does well....”

Why this round of LCBO bargaining can be positive for everyone

As bargaining between the LCBO and OPSEU unfolds, our customers will soon be asking questions about it. So will friends, neighbours, and relatives. So what do we say to them?

“With a recession on, our communities need good jobs more than ever, and that’s what this round of bargaining is all about,” says Vanda Klumper, chair of the OPSEU bargaining team for the Liquor Board Employees Division. “Our goal is to protect the good permanent jobs our members have right now and create more good jobs for our casuals who are struggling.

“The LCBO is in a position to create good jobs, and in this economic climate it has a responsibility to create good jobs,” she said after two days of negotiations this week. “It’s what our families need, it’s what our communities need, and it’s what our province needs.

“That’s our message in a nutshell.”

Part of the union’s challenge is to educate customers and the general public about work at the LCBO, Klumper said.

“Most people don’t realize that 60 per cent of LCBO employees are casuals who make less than $20,800 a year on average,” she said. “But our customers do understand that you can’t bring kids up properly on that income, you can’t live a decent life on that income.

“When they know the challenges our members are facing, they’ll support us,” she said. “Our customers like us.”

Nothing supports local economies better than good jobs, and people know it, Klumper said. In a poll of 1,000 Canadians published by Vector Research in January, 95 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement that “When working people do well, business does well.”

“Most people understand that the way to build communities is from the bottom up,” she said. “When workers have good jobs, they spend money, and when they spend money they create more work and more jobs.

“We’re putting forward a practical, positive solution to the pain our communities are experiencing,” she said. “Our message is in tune with what the public wants.”

Meet your mobilizers!

OPSEU mobilizers are your co-workers at the LCBO. They’re the direct link between you and your bargaining team. The following people are assigned as mobilizers in the OPSEU locals indicated.

Guy Jeremschuck: Local 162

Dave Holmes: Local 163

Mike Robertson: Local 164

Mike Sullivan: Local 165

Bonnie Jolley: Local 284

Paula Sossi: Local 285

Deb Altoft: Local 286

Shawn Swayze: Local 287

Matt Savelli: Local 287

Frank Gullace: Local 288

Maria Bauer: Locals 375, 376

Doug Parks: Locals 377, 378

Eileen Allen: Local 379

Terri Taylor: Locals 497, 498

Devon Ford: Locals 499, 4100

Kevin Ramsay: Locals 5107, 5110

Roberto Ianni: Locals 5108, 5111

Craig Hadley: Locals 5109, 5110, 5111

Mellisa Jackson: All Locals in OPSEU Region 6

Anne Makela: All Locals in Region 7 

Your bargaining team

The OPSEU bargaining team for the Liquor Board Employees Division consists of seven members:

Vanda Klumper, Chair, OPSEU Local 165 vklumper@rogers.com

Denise Davis, Vice-Chair, Local 378 djdcones@yahoo.ca

Dora Robinson, Local 376 dora.robinson@gmail.com

Tracy Vyfschaft, Local 377 tcshaft@xplornet.com

Lori Davis, Local 499 loridavis@xplornet.com

Colleen MacLeod, Local 5107 colleenmacleod@opseu5107.org

Laurie Miller, Local 682 lauriem3@sympatico.ca

The bargaining team is assisted by OPSEU Senior Negotiator Rob Field, Senior Researcher Joyce Hansen, and other assigned staff.

Stay informed

As negotiations pick up speed, make it your priority to stay on top of bargaining news.

1. Attend upcoming bargaining information meetings (see listing on the OPSEU web site at www.opseu.org/lbed/collective.htm ).

2. Receive this bargaining bulletin (and our regular newsletter, the Echo) directly by e-mail. Just call OPSEUdirect at 1-800-268-7376 or (416) 443-8888 and give the operator your name and e-mail address.

3. Bookmark the address at www.opseu.org/lbed/collective.htm  on the OPSEU website to learn more about what’s happening inside the Liquor Board Employees Division.

EAP Hotline: 1-800-263-1401

The LCBO Employee Assistance Program is a confidential, hassle-free counseling service for eligible LCBO employees and their immediate families. For assistance, call 1-800-263-1401. To find out more about the program, visit: www.opseu.org/leb/eap  .

Your 2009 Bargaining Bulletin is authorized for distribution by:

Vanda Klumper, Chair,
Liquor Board Employees Division

Warren (Smokey) Thomas, President, OPSEU
Ontario Public Service Employees Union

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