Dear BCLDB members, 

Thank you for your advocacy and response in pushing back at our employer's short-sighted mask policy.

Your union is happy to announce that – thanks to our collective strength and the language we've bargained into our collective agreement – we've gotten the BCLDB to back down and issue a clarification that the BCGEU-branded masks that you have all been supplied are allowed to be worn on the job.

Our right to wear union insignia at work is thanks to collective agreement language that BCGEU members have bargained throughout the years, specifically Article 2.8 - Union Insignia, which can be found in your BCGEU collective agreement.

We have all worked so diligently to protect each other and our customers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm proud that through our action as a union we're able to move our employer to clarify their policy on union face masks.

As a fellow BCLDB employee, I also want to note that I share your frustration at our exclusion from the province's COVID-19 Temporary Pandemic Pay, and I want to assure you that your elected union leadership continues to enquire with government as to why we were excluded and urge them to do the right thing and respect our work that was deemed essential.

To achieve our goal of inclusion in this deserved pay, it's important that government knows that we're united. If you (or your family and friends) haven't already, please take action to:

• Sign our online petition – Give liquor distribution branch workers pandemic pay – http://action.bcgeu.ca

• Write to your MLA and MP – All frontline workers deserve premium pay – https://bcgeu.good.do/premium-pay/stand-up-for-workers/

BCGEU face masks are being mailed out as they are received by the union from the manufacturer, with the order expected to be complete within the next couple of weeks. If you don't receive yours by early-July, please contact your local chair.
 
In solidarity,
 
Kusam Doal
BCGEU vice president for Component 5 – Retail Stores and Warehouse
 
 
Download PDF of notice here

UWU/MoveUP