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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

July 13, 2017

BCGEU Recognizes the Unsung Superstars Behind the Wildfire Response - BCGEU

Over the past week, hundreds of wildfire fighters have been fighting over 200 wildfires across the province, and experts fear more wildfires are on their way. While firefighters, RCMP and paramedics are the emergency response units we see on the highways and on television every day, there are hundreds other public servants who are making this response possible. These are the workers doing admin...

July 11, 2017

The BCGEU Stands in Solidarity with Pacific Blue Cross Workers Locked Out of ...

The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU), representing over 73,000 workers across B.C., will stand in solidarity with the workers locked out of their jobs by Pacific Blue Cross (PBC) in Vancouver.   On June 30th, PBC announced to its workers they would be prevented from returning to work if they continued a job action aimed at securing a fair deal for workers. During the latest ...

July 10, 2017

BCGEU President Extends Support to Communities Affected by Wildfires and Than...

On behalf of 73,000 BCGEU members, I would like to extend our support and solidarity to the communities affected by wildfires burning through much of British Columbia this week. With over 200 wildfires starting over the weekend, hundreds of B.C. families spent their weekend wondering whether their homes would be standing by Monday. As one of B.C.'s largest unions, we know that hundreds of our m...

July 10, 2017

Closure of REACH Daycare a significant loss for the community - BCGEU

REACH Daycare and Young Parent Centre in Langford will close at the end of September representing a tremendous loss of community for families who rely on the centre. Due in part to lack of provincial funding, this closure will leave some young parents without the support they need to complete their education, creating a gap in valuable social services. REACH Daycare provides early learning and ...

July 10, 2017

Williams Lake Area Office Temporary Closure - BCGEU

There is a temporary closure of the Williams Lake Area Office (Area 06) due to the fire conditions in the area. All calls to the office have been re-routed to the Prince George Area Office. We will update you once we have more information.

July 05, 2017

Prince George Pride Parade - July 8, 2017 - BCGEU

Pride Season is here again in Prince George!   We want to encourage everyone to join in the fun! This year is expected to be the biggest yet! Date: July 8, 2017 Start: 11:00 am Where: Parade begins at the Veterans Plaza at 100 Patricia Blvd If you would like to join the BCGEU in the parade we will be meeting at 9:30 am behind City Hall, look for the BCGEU flags. If you need more information, pl...

July 05, 2017

Victoria Pride Parade - July 9, 2017 - BCGEU

Pride Season is here again in Victoria!   We want to encourage everyone to join in the fun! This year is expected to be the biggest yet! Date: July 9, 2017 Start: 11:00 am Where: Parade begins at Pandora and Government If you would like to join the BCGEU in the parade we will be meeting between 8:30 am and 10:00 am at the corner of Pandora and Government, look for the BCGEU flag. If you need mo...

July 05, 2017

More violence at Forensic Psychiatric Hospital as BCGEU calls on PHSA board o...

Another staff member at Forensic Psychiatric Hospital (FPH) in Coquitlam, operated by the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), has been assaulted after being asked to escort a patient exhibiting aggressive behaviour to a seclusion room. Staff members are not provided with protective gear at FPH.  "The ongoing violence at FPH is due to an imbalance created by bringing dangerous individua...

July 02, 2017

BCGEU Celebrates Canada Day 150 Plus - BCGEU

On Saturday July 1, 2017 Canada celebrated its 150th birthday. While many took part in celebrations across the country, others chose this important date to make us aware of some of the more disturbing aspects of our history.  The Indigenous peoples of this land governed themselves for thousands of years before colonization by Europeans just 300 years ago.       What happened 150 years ago?  In ...

June 29, 2017

BCGEU congratulates the NDP as they prepare to form government - BCGEU

The BCGEU congratulates John Horgan and the BC NDP as we move into a new era of leadership in our province. “We look forward to working with the new government,” says BCGEU president Stephanie Smith. “We are optimistic that the alliance between the BC NDP and BC Greens will move us towards a British Columbia that lifts up all people, provides a transparent and accountable government, and protec...

June 28, 2017

Stephanie Smith: Post-Convention Address - BCGEU

Stephanie Smith, BCGEU President, reflects on your union's recent convention, and talks about the work we're going to do together to make our union stronger.  

June 26, 2017

As provinces seek the 'right' price for pot, how it's sold could matter - BCGEU

Provincial finance ministers are getting a clear message from the federal government this week: Keep taxes on legal marijuana sales consistently low across Canada, or risk undercutting the government's goal of ending black market cannabis sales. But provincial governments may find that enticing consumers to buy legal marijuana over illicit weed will take more than just tweaking tax rates. The q...

June 26, 2017

Vancouver's grocery store liquor policy not restrictive enough, addictions ex...

The City of Vancouver has made changes to its liquor policy - including allowing for a store-in-store model for grocery store liquor sales - but one addictions expert says the changes make alcohol-use too permissive and put vulnerable people at risk. The city chose the store-in-store model - where grocers can create a separated liquor area with its own cashier - precisely because it was more re...

June 26, 2017

Liquor policy review: Vancouver council allows grocery stores to sell booze -...

  As part of a suite of changes to its liquor policy, Vancouver city council is allowing grocery stores to sell wine, beer and liquor. The sale of booze inside grocery stores will be done through the "store-within-a-store" model that will require a separate checkout.   Read more... 

June 22, 2017

BC Liberal throne speech rings hollow to British Columbia voters - BCGEU

By releasing major elements of their final throne speech before presenting it in the legislature, the B.C. Liberal government has signalled a cynical about-face on major policy issues that rings hollow to B.C. voters, says the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union. "For the past 16 years, the B.C. Liberal government has ignored the needs of B.C.'s most vulnerable citizens and working fam...

June 21, 2017

BCGEU Celebrates National Aboriginal Day - BCGEU

This year is a special year for the BCGEU as we celebrate National Aboriginal Day. We're so incredibly proud of the great strides that BCGEU members – both new and experienced – have taken over the past year to strengthen relationships with our allies in Aboriginal communities around the province. In just the last twelve months, we've welcomed employees at Fraser Valley Aboriginal Child and Fam...

June 20, 2017

Celebrate National Aboriginal with the BCGEU at Trout Lake - BCGEU

The BCGEU is proud to celebrate National Aboriginal Day with our members and community allies across the province. The day's celebrations begin with breakfast at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society and will be followed by the march to Trout Lake for the opening of the afternoon festival. The BCGEU is a proud sponsor of the morning breakfast and encourages members to join us in vo...

June 19, 2017

New team elected to lead BCGEU to 2020 - BCGEU

Delegates at the 2017 BCGEU Constitutional Convention have elected our new leadership team. As expected, Stephanie Smith was acclaimed as BCGEU president. This will be her second term as president after serving one term as treasurer between 2011 and 2014. Smith is the union's first elected woman president. Paul Finch was also acclaimed for a second term as treasurer. Elected or re-elected to th...

June 15, 2017

Response to media statement by executive director with the Forensic Psychiatr...

In response to a media release the BCGEU issued yesterday – Chronic failure by PHSA to protect staff at Forensic Psychiatric Hospital (FPH) leads to another assault on health care worker – we were disappointed that Angela Draude, provincial executive director with the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission, said she "hasn't personally heard a request for protective equipment from the BCGEU" i...

June 14, 2017

Chronic failure by PHSA to protect staff at Forensic Psychiatric Hospital lea...

A violent incident at Forensic Psychiatric Hospital (FPH) in Coquitlam put another staff member in harm's way yesterday afternoon because of the ongoing failure of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) to adequately resource and protect workers at the facility.   Following his release from long-time seclusion, a patient assaulted a staff member whose colleagues were unable to immediat...