2021 LBED Bargaining Bulletin, Issue 7
Download a printable PDF of this bulletin
Telephone town hall details, May 20
OPSEU/SEFPO is hosting two telephone town halls on Thursday, May 20. One is at 10 a.m. EST, the other is at 7:30 p.m. EST. All LBED members are encouraged to attend at least one.
If OPSEU/SEFPO has your up-to-date personal phone number, you will receive a call roughly 10 to 15 minutes before the town hall starts. Just stay on the line, and you’ll be connected.
You can also dial the meeting directly: call 1-877-229-8493 and enter ID Code: 112847.
OPSEU/SEFPO Leaders’ Message
Despite serious challenges, your bargaining team has negotiated a tentative agreement that’s all gains:
- You gain the highest possible wage increases allowed under Bill 124, the law that caps your increases at just one per cent a year for three years
- You gain the right to reopen wage negotiations if the Supreme Court rules Bill 124 unconstitutional. Your team went one step further: if Bill 124 is repealed or amended to shorten the moderation period or increase the wage constraint, we go back into wage bargaining
- You gain shift-premium, and acting pay increases
- You gain the highest possible benefit increases under Bill 124, including increased vision and footwear coverage for full-timers, part-timers, and most casuals
- You gain a written commitment from the employer to continue making Sundays voluntary for all permanent full-timers hired before Sept 4, 2001.
Your bargaining team had to overcome serious challenges to get this deal.
The employer came to the table demanding you give up a long list of workplace rights that you’ve won over years of hard bargaining and solidarity. Their opening proposal was a long list of what are known as in bargaining as “concessions” – things you lose.
But with your support, your bargaining team held firm against all the losses.
- You keep schedules with predictable start and stop times.
- You keep strong protections against losing your job because of contracting out or privatization.
- You keep the ability to transfer to jobs province-wide
We think it all adds up to bargaining at its best. And when you review the details of the tentative agreement, we’re confident you’ll think so, too.
And remember: if Bill 124 is repealed or shortened during this contract, your wage negotiations re-open.
So keep in touch with each other and keep in touch with your union. The more engaged and connected you all are when wage negotiations reopen, the stronger your bargaining committee will be for you.
In solidarity,
OPSEU/SEFPO President Warren (Smokey) Thomas
OPSEU/SEFPO First Vice-President/Treasurer Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida
Tentative agreement next steps
Your bargaining team has achieved a tentative agreement. Here’s what happens next:
-
Telephone townhalls
Details of the tentative agreement will be discussed during two telephone townhalls on Thursday, May 20. One is at 10 a.m, the other is at 7:30 p.m. All LBED members are encouraged to attend at least one.
-
Mobilizer meetings:
Between May 25 and the ratification vote, regional mobilizers will be hosting a series of Zoom meetings where you’ll have a chance to ask even more questions about the tentative agreement.
-
Virtual Ratification vote:
The virtual ratification vote will take place June 8-10. In order to receive your ballot, please ensure OPSEU/SEFPO has your personal email address and home address. Checking and updating your contact information is easy. There are four ways to do it:
- Call 1-800-268-7376 or 416-443-8888 and say you’re an LBED member looking to update your contact info
- Send your name, personal email address, and personal cell to [email protected]
- Update your contact info through the OPSEU/SEFPO member portal
- Fill out this short online form.
Bargaining team message: Why we’re recommending acceptance
As your bargaining team, we’re proud to recommend acceptance of the tentative agreement.
To understand why we’re recommending acceptance, we’d like to walk you through the gains being made – there are no losses.
Read the full Memorandum of Settlement.
Read the letter to OPSEU/SEFPO negotiator
Wage increases (MOS, Section 8, PDF pages 1-2):
- 1 per cent, retroactive to April 1, 2021 (retro to be paid within 60 days of ratification)
- 1 per cent, April 1, 2022
- 1 per cent, April 1, 2023
Bill 124 wage reopener (Appendix B, PDF page 20)
Because of Bill 124, our wage increases are capped at one per cent a year for three years. The bill is a blatant violation of your Constitution rights, and OPSEU/SEFPO was one of the first unions to launch a Charter challenge against it.
The employer has agreed that, if Bill 124 is declared unconstitutional – or amended or repealed — during the life of this agreement, wage negotiations will re-open. Your bargaining team will return to the table and, with your support, increase your wage increases.
Increases in acting pay (Appendix B, Article 7.12, PDF page 16)
Acting pay for members acting as store manager will increase from $18 to $18.40 on April 1, 2023.
The shift premium for hours worked between 6 pm and 7 am will increase:
- from $1 to $1.25 an hour on April 1, 2022
- from $1.25 to $1.53 an hour on April 1, 2023
- The shift premium for night shifts increases from $2 to $2.20 an hour on April 1, 2022
Increases in health benefits (Appendix B, Article 21.2, PDF page 17)
- The vision care benefit increases from $340 to $400 in any 24-month period
- The vision care benefit coverage of laser surgery is now guaranteed in the agreement
New health benefits for casuals (Appendix B, Article 32.13, PDF page 17)
- Casuals with 1,300 hours in a year will now be covered for up to $200 in vision care costs in a 24-month period
- Casuals with 1,300 hours in a year will now be covered for orthotics at 50 per cent of PFT coverage
Extended benefits (Appendix A, PDF page 13)
We renewed our existing agreement providing PFT, PPT, and seasonals an extension on survivor benefits and the option to purchase out-of-country coverage.
More frequent seniority lists (Appendix B, Article 5.5, PDF page 15)
The employer agreed to our proposal that the union be given an updated seniority list quarterly instead of twice a year. This will make the process of applying for other jobs within the LCBO easier.
Sundays remain voluntary for long-serving PFTs and casuals (PDF entitled LCBO Letter to OPSEU/SEFPO Negotiator Tracy More)
Early in its term, the Ford government removed from the Employment Standards Act (ESA) the right of full-time retail LCBO workers to have Sundays off.
At the beginning of bargaining, the employer informed us that because of the ESA changes, it would no longer treat Sunday shifts as voluntary for permanent full-timers hired before Sept 4, 2001. If you’re scheduled on a Sunday, you’ll have to work that Sunday.
Voluntary Sundays for permanent full-timers and casuals has never been part of our collective agreement, and the employer was within its legal rights to make Sundays mandatory.
But that didn’t stop us from demanding that the employer commit in writing to continue recognizing the right of permanent full-timers and casuals hired before Sept 4, 2001, to not be scheduled on Sundays.
Allocation of retail, depot OT (Appendix A, PDF page 9)
We renewed our existing agreement covering the fair allocation of overtime hours in retail stores and depots.
Logistics call-in protocol (Appendix A, PDF pages 10-12)
We renewed our existing agreement covering the fair allocation of call-in work in logistics.
Kilometre rates (Appendix A, PDF page 10)
We renewed our existing agreement covering kilometres rates for work-related travel.
Head office relocation (Appendix A, PDF page 12)
We renewed our existing agreement committing the employer to meet with the union’s Provincial Labour Management reps and affected local presidents to keep members up-to-date on the relocation process. This LOA will expire at the end of the collective agreement. The Employer tried to remove this LOA claiming that it was no longer required.
More protection for more union activists (Appendix B, Article 1.4, PDF page 14)
The employer agreed to our proposal to increase from 40 to 50 the number of elected union activists to be given — for the purposes of lay-off only – top seniority in their local
Permanent employees transferred from Department 739 (Appendix A, PDF pages 11-12)
We renewed our existing agreement protecting the scheduling rights of members transferred out of Department 739
Store maintenance duties (Appendix A, PDF page 12)
We renewed our existing agreement confirming that washing of walls, painting, and stripping and waxing floors are not job requirements.
Union business leave of absences (Appendix B, PDF page 18)
We renewed our existing agreement providing leaves of absence for members doing union work.
Grievance process agreement (Appendix B, PDF page 19)
Since the provisions of the agreement were carried out, including conflict-resolution training for the employer and LBED members, this letter is being deleted. The conflict-resolution training was especially helpful as we pushed for proper PPEs and pandemic procedures.
Scheduling agreement (Appendix B, PDF page 20)
Since the provisions of this agreement were carried out, the letter is being deleted.
Full-time CSR positions (Appendix A, PDF page 7)
Since the employer fulfilled its obligation to create 200 new full-time CSR positions and the letter had an expiry date, this letter of agreement is deleted.
Housekeeping (Appendix A, PDF page 8)
In 2017, we negotiated 1,100 paid hours for members on the PHSC committee, but it was not reflected in the collective agreement. That’s fixed here.
Gender neutral language (Appendix B, Preamble, PDF page 14)
The employer agreed to our proposal to make the collective agreement gender neutral and where a personal pronoun is used it shall mean and include all gender pronouns.
Thanks and in solidarity,
Bargaining Team Chair: Colleen MacLeod, Local 5107
Bargaining Team Vice-Chair: Craig Hadley, Local 5109
Logistics Position: – Jeremy Trainor, Local 378
Member at Large: Rachel Brunet, Local 4100
Member at Large: Adam Ly, Local 499
LBED bargaining team members (top left to bottom right) Colleen MacLeod, Craig Hadley, Rachel Brunet, Jeremy Trainor, and Adam Ly.
Important: To vote, OPSEU/SEFPO needs your email
If you are unable to receive your unique Elector ID and password by email, please inform your Local President by May 25 and confirm OPSEU/SEFPO has your up-to-date mailing address.
Otherwise, you will be emailed a unique Elector ID and password that you’ll use to vote via computer.
Please ensure OPSEU/SEFPO has your personal email address and personal phone number. Checking and updating your contact information is easy. There are four ways to do it:
- Call 1-800-268-7376 or 416-443-8888 and say you’re an LBED member looking to update your contact info
- Send your name, personal email address, and personal cell to [email protected]
- Update your contact info through the OPSEU/SEFPO member portal
- Fill out this short online form.
Your regional mobilizers
Your regional mobilizers for 2021 were elected by LBED divisional and local leaders during a virtual meeting on Oct. 24, 2020. The mobilizers are:
- Region 1: Shelly Robitaille [email protected] , Greg Wilson [email protected]
- Region 2: Shawn Swayze [email protected] , Greg Scott [email protected]
- Region 3: Tammy Rogers [email protected] , Damian Campbell [email protected]
- Region 4: Dianne Clarabut [email protected] , Sean Spencer [email protected]
- Region 5: Kim Nasello [email protected] , Janice Ariza [email protected] , Taidgh McGuinness [email protected]
- Region 6: Leslie Gagnon [email protected] , Judy Jones [email protected]
- Region 7: Rob Mithrush [email protected] , Anne Makela [email protected]
Stay up-to-date!
You can stay up-to-date on the latest by frequently checking our website – http://opseu.org/lbed — and by following our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/OpseuLiquorBoardEmployees
Your 2021 Bargaining Bulletin is authorized for distribution by:
Colleen MacLeod, Chair, Liquor Board Employees Division
Warren (Smokey) Thomas, President, OPSEU/SEFPO