Click here to find info on COVID-19

COMPONENT 5 - RETAIL STORES AND WAREHOUSE

Component 5 includes members who work for the BC Liquor Distribution Branch in retail stores and related warehouse operations.

NEWS & UPDATES

June 29, 2016

Working Poverty in Metro Vancouver: the extent of the problem and realistic s...

Today the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) released a study on poverty in Vancouver. The report, Working Poverty in Metro Vancouver, presents sobering details on the increasing levels of poverty in the region. It also dispels an important myth about poverty: that getting a job will help lift a person out of poverty. Poverty in B.C.’s largest city is increasingly a story of low pa...

June 28, 2016

Remember to Shop Public this holiday weekend

This week the BCGEU is reminding British Columbians to “Shop Public” at publicly operated BC Liquor Stores. You may hear the radio ads we are running across the province. You may see our Shop Public animation at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival this weekend. There are lots of reasons to Shop Public: better prices and selection, extended shopping hours, Sunday and holiday openings, and...

June 24, 2016

Local 503 General/Executive Meeting

       DATE:   July 10, 2016      TIME:   1:00 am – Executive Meeting                  12:00 pm – General Meeting (food will be served)    PLACE:   BCGEU – Lower Mainland Office – Musqueam Room                  Suite 130-2920 Virtual Way, Vancouver   Our new office is across the street from Renfrew Station. If you are travelling by car and need underground parking, please phone or email the...

June 24, 2016

Keep Your Cool!

The recent hot weather in our province generated several calls to the BCGEU Occupational Health and Safety department. Members want to know if the employer has the responsibility to protect workers from hot temperatures both indoors and out. The short answer is “YES!” The Workers Compensation Act Section 115 mandates that employers must ensure the health and safety of all workers working for t...

June 23, 2016

B.C. to allow larger sample sizes at liquor retailers

If you're hesitating to buy a pricey bottle of liquor you've never tried, the British Columbia government has stepped in with a taste-test solution. Read more...

June 22, 2016

Walsh wants store-in-store wine sales — and apologies from Kamloops MLAs

A Kamloops city councillor wants a provincial moratorium on grocery store wine sales — and an apology from local MLAs Todd Stone and Terry Lake. Read more...

June 20, 2016

BCGEU celebrates the 20th National Aboriginal Day

On June 21, 1996 the federal government declared the first National Aboriginal Day. Since that time, the BCGEU has joined the celebrations and the calls for increased support and recognition of Aboriginal peoples across Canada. Over the course of those 20 years, Aboriginal peoples in Canada have fought for and won many advancements and reinforcements of their rights – sometimes through govern...

June 20, 2016

June 2016 Safety Tip - Preventing Ergonomic Injuries

June 20th is the first day of summer, so the days will be getting warmer. This usually results in more patrons coming through our doors, so your workload will increase. Don’t let this increased workload result in an ergonomic injury. We need to be aware of our posture, as well as the size and shape of the loads we have to lift and any repetitive movements. These are all risk factors that can c...

June 20, 2016

BCGEU demands freedom for Iranian trade unionists

In solidarity with the Free Them Now campaign to free jailed workers in Iran, the BCGEU sent two letters demanding the release of Jafar Azimzadeh and other jailed trade union leaders. Click here to read the general solidarity letter, and click here for the the more specific letter. 

June 16, 2016

Local 504 meeting

DATE: Tuesday June 28, 2016 TIME: Dinner: 6:30 p.m.           General Meeting: 7:00 p.m. PLACE: 8555 198A Street, Langley Twp V2Y 0A9 (use Twp if using map search)   AGENDA 1. Introductions 2. Adoption of Agenda 3. Adoption of Previous Minutes 4. Officers/Stewards/Chair Reports 5. Grievance Report 6. Old Business 7. New Business 8. Goods and Welfare 9. Next Meeting Date 10. Adjournment Please...

June 16, 2016

Canadians acknowledge contributions of public service workers

June 13-17 is Public Services Week in Canada. Coast to coast to coast, it’s a chance for Canadians to acknowledge the valuable contributions made by workers in the public service. Public services are central to the social and economic fabric of our communities, our province and our country. Each and every one of us benefits from the contributions made by public services workers every day. They...

June 15, 2016

Liquor Distribution Branch: serving our province for 95 years

June 15 marks the 95th anniversary of B.C.’s Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB). The LDB came into existence on this day in 1921. At the time, residents 21 years of age and older had to pay $5 for an annual permit to buy alcohol. Eighty products were available for sale at nine government operated stores. Today there are many more public stores and many more products for sale. But one thing has n...

June 13, 2016

Love must be greater than hate – Orlando shootings

The BCGEU expresses deep sorrow at the brutal hate crime which occurred in Orlando, Florida this past weekend and sends condolences to the families of the more than 100 innocent people who were killed and seriously injured at the Pulse nightclub on Sunday morning. Much of the news coverage has focused on allegations of extremist religious motives. But this was not an act of terrorism, although...

June 13, 2016

The Columbia Institute releases a climate change report

The Columbia Institute released a brand-new report today: Top Asks for Climate Action - Ramping Up Low Carbon Communities. You can find it and a summary here. Local governments have a crucial role to play in combating climate change. Their decisions directly or indirectly impact sixty percent of Canada’s energy consumption and more than fifty percent of GHG emissions. Top Asks pinpoints what l...

June 10, 2016

BCGEU writes Colombian and Canadian governments on repression

In early June, the BCGEU learned that Colombian state security forces used indiscriminate and excessive force against Colombian citizens engaged in peaceful protest. This led to deaths, serious injuries and arrests of citizens taking part in the “National Agrarian, Peasant, Ethnic and Grassroots Mobilization – for Good Living, A structural Agrarian Reform and Dignified Cities – Sowing Hope, Har...