Casual Worker of the Week: Julian Benson

How many years have you worked as a part-time employee at the LCBO?
I've worked as a retail casual for 4 years.

Do you rely on being called in to get hours of work? How many LCBO locations do work at in a month?
For the first three years I depended heavily on the on-call list to get my hours of work and I moved around a lot. Now I work a 4 hour shift six days a week at one location.

How many hours do you work a week (estimate)?
16 hours – 24 hours a week.

How much did you make working part-time hours last year?
My take home pay last year was just under $26,000.

Do you want a permanent full-time job?
Of course! Not having a living income lowers my standard of living. The total lack of security prevents me from planning any kind of future for myself. I think every casual knows that awful feeling you get when you see that your hours have been cut on the schedule and you know you're going to have a very difficult time making rent. No one should have that feeling.

Facts

In the last fiscal year the LCBO returned more than $2.2 billion to the provincial treasury in the form of dividends and taxes to help pay for education, health care and public services. We don't accept that low-income workers need to take a pay cut when they work for one of the most profitable corporations in the province. People need decent work. You can't raise children on half a job. Our communities need good jobs to build strong, local economies. It's neither fair nor just that the LCBO profits from the part-time work of its employees who earn, on average, about $26,000 annually.

Fact

Part-time workers make up 60 per cent of the workforce, or about 4,000 workers across Ontario.

Fact

It takes about 12 to 15 years for a part-time worker to finally get a full-time job at the LCBO.

Fact

The average part-time worker earns $26,000 a year.

Fact

The LCBO has been understaffed for a long time.