Liquor Board Employees Division (LBED) members across Ontario have a very busy week ahead! This past weekend, your LBED Bargaining Team achieved an arbitrated award for the past three years of unconstitutional wage restraints imposed by the now-repealed Bill 124. After months of organizing and participation, LCBO workers across the province are now ready to build on that award!
On our Day of Action tomorrow (March 12), we’re putting the Ford government on notice: We’re ready to fight to stop their sell-off of the LCBO, and we’ll be demanding the working conditions and wages we deserve as we begin the next round of bargaining on March 13!
Bill 124 Update: Arbitrated Award
Your LBED Bargaining Team(s) met with the Employer on March 9th & 10th to discuss the now repealed Bill 124 and seek a remedy for the last three years.
We worked into the evening on Saturday March 9th and started bright and early on Sunday morning. We were united in our message that our members must be made whole for the past three years of wage restraint. We heard you loud and clear, you needed Bill 124 settled before entering into negotiations for our new contract. This is exactly what we achieved.
As a result of a long evening of mediation, the parties agreed to arbitration on Sunday with Arbitrator Gerry Lee. The Award issued adds 6.5% to our wage grid, spread over the three-year agreement. Click here to download and read the Award.
The award issued by Arbitrator Gerry Lee includes the following across the board wage increases, inclusive of the 1% already negotiated in the signed 2021-2024 Collective Agreement:
- Year 1 – 2021 – 3%
- Year 2 – 2022 – 3%
- Year 3 – 2023 – 3.5%
Your wage rates will be adjusted with the new pay rates within 60 days of the award.
The wage increases apply to all current and former employees, including members on any leave including LTIP, who were employed during the period of April 1, 2021 to present day.
For current employees, all retroactive payments shall be executed as soon as practical but no later than 120 days from the date of this award.
For former employees, all retroactive payments shall be executed as soon as practical but no later than December 31st, 2024.
These negotiated increases are awarded to remedy the impacts of Bill 124. As a result, LBED members will not receive a further financial remedy if one is ultimately ordered in the Charter Challenge that OPSEU/SEFPO filed in March 2020.
Please note, this also settles the thousands of personal grievances our members filed to support our team. Congratulations for building power LBED has never had before! We couldn’t have done this without the thousands of grievances you signed that pressured our Employer to do the right thing.
Bill 124 is complete – and now we’re ready to build on that award in our next round of bargaining starting this week, stronger than ever!
March 12th LCBO Day of Action – tomorrow!
Are you ready to fight for the future of the LCBO, and for good jobs for LBED workers across Ontario as we move into our next round of bargaining this week? We know you are, because 7,000 LBED members signed the petition to demand that the Ford government stop the sell-off of the LCBO, and for the wages and working conditions we deserve! We’ll be delivering those petitions to 11 MPP offices tomorrow!
There are two ways to participate in tomorrow’s LCBO Day of Action:
- Pick one of the 11 actions happening near you and attend tomorrow at 10 a.m.! Here’s a list of actions and locations.
- Take a selfie (alone or with co-workers) and send it to [email protected] so we can share it!
If you’re posting on your own social media accounts, don’t forget to include the hashtag #LCBOWorkersFightBack.
March 13th – Next contract bargaining begins
Tomorrow’s Day of Action will take us directly into our new round of bargaining, which begins the next day on March 13th! Your LBED Bargaining Team will go to the table this week with the demonstrated strength of LBED members across the province. We’re ready to build on our Bill 124 win and fight for good jobs at the LCBO!
In solidarity,
Your LBED Bargaining Team:
Colleen MacLeod
Jeremy Trainor
Rachel Brunet
Damian Campbell
Craig Hadley