After months of preparation, negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement between the LCBO and members of OPSEU's Liquor Board Employees Division (LBED) started today at a hotel in Toronto.

"There's a special energy the team experiences on the first day of contract talks and I will say with strong confidence our bargaining team is prepared and eager to take on the LCBO bargaining team so that we can deliver the best possible contract," said Denise Davis, chair of LBED's seven-member negotiation group.

This will be the second round of negotiations with the employer since LBED members joined OPSEU in 2005. The current contract expires March 31, 2013.

"For our side it's all about building good jobs," said Davis. "Low income work with weak benefits and little job security, and bad scheduling for our casual members are of no interest to us. We will be bargaining hard to build on the gains we made in our last contract in 2009."

In the demanding-setting process last year LBED members made it clear what issues they want their bargaining team to address: improved wages and benefits, better job security and more gains in health and safety standards.

Davis said the bargaining team will take a strong stand against wage discrepancy where fixed term, seasonal and casual workers are paid significantly less. "The LCBO needs to understand the principle of equal pay for equal work."

"These are all important issues," said Davis, "and the team is ready to take these issues to the table. But we need the full and strong support of every last member. When the employer looks across the bargaining table we want it to see not only the seven-member negotiating team but a 7,000-member negotiating team."

Negotiating dates between the LCBO and OPSEU bargaining team for the Liquor Board Employees Division are scheduled for the following dates:

Negotiating a good contract on behalf of 7,000 LCBO unionized workers is the job of your elected seven-member bargaining team.

But delivering on a good contract goes beyond the hard work and long hours put in by the bargaining team. Behind the negotiating scene and on the frontline of our workplaces are mobilizers whose job it is to keep members up-to-date on negotiations and to show the employer that we stand united behind our bargaining team.

"I like to say mobilizing is the ability to agitate, communicate and animate the bargaining process all in the name of supporting our negotiators," says Luisa Quarta, an OPSEU campaigns officer who is working with LBED's nine mobilizers in the field. "Mobilizers are out there keeping the members informed and working to build solidarity all in the name of building a strong contract that benefits all the members."

Initially, nine mobilizers will be booked off for 20 days in March. That represents one mobilizer for each region; a second mobilizer will also be assigned to Region 5 (Toronto) and Region 3 (east central Ontario) where there are the greatest concentrations of LBED locals, worksite and members.

Mobilizers will be working very closely with local executives and stewards on public actions that may be taken during the bargaining process. It's vital that all members show their support by participating in actions and by attending information meetings.
 

Store #393 London. OPSEU Local 163. Dave has worked for the LCBO since 1985. He spent 12 years as a retail customer service representative before landing a permanent position in 1997. In 1999 he was made a product consultant. daveholmes@gmail.com