British Columbia·UpdatedThe B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) says workers at the Liquor Distribution Branch’s headquarters in Burnaby — as well as warehouses in Delta, Richmond and Kamloops — are now on strike.B.C. General Employees’ Union has been on strike since Sept. 2, says government hasn’t come back to tableThe Canadian Press · Posted: Sep 22, 2025 2:46 PM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes agoMembers of the British Columbia General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) picket outside an ICBC driver licensing office in Surrey, B.C., earlier this month. The union’s strike action has now expanded to liquor and cannabis distribution facilities. (Ben Nelms/CBC)Liquor and cannabis warehouses in British Columbia are now behind picket lines as public sector workers step up job action to try to pressure the government back to the bargaining table.The B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) says workers at the Liquor Distribution Branch’s headquarters in Burnaby — as well as warehouses in Delta, Richmond and Kamloops — are now on strike.The union has also added five new provincial ministry work sites in Vancouver and Victoria to the strike list, putting the total number of active picket lines across B.C. to 28.The job action is in its fourth week and now involves more than 10,000 union members with actions that also include overtime bans. The BCGEU says escalations will continue until the province agrees to negotiate. WATCH | BCGEU job action leads to restaurant anxiety: Some in B.C.’s restaurant industry worried about BCGEU job action escalationRestaurant owners across the province say they’re worried about the escalation of job action by public service workers later today. Marcella Bernardo has been looking into this. The union wants wage increases in line with inflation and cost-of-living, while the province says it wants an agreement that’s fair to workers and to the public.Union president Paul Finch said in a statement that strike action targeting front-facing operations such as liquor and cannabis distribution is a last resort to pressure the government.BCGEU president Paul Finch says the government isn’t coming back to the table, which is why the union is stepping up job action. (Ben Nelms/CBC)”Up to now, we’ve focused job action on government operations, while minimizing disruptions for the public,” Finch said. “But with government refusing to come back to the table, we’re left with no choice. “Public service workers cannot keep falling further behind,” he said. “Government’s low offer is essentially telling British Columbians to expect cuts to the services they depend on.”Mark Guolo, a shipping supervisor who walked off the job at a liquor distribution centre in Delta, told CBC News that employees there move 60,000 to 120,000 cases of alcohol a day.He said both private and government-operated liquor stores may not see an impact immediately.”They’ll still have product in the stores, but as they sell through that, they won’t be getting replenished,” he said.Mark Guolo, who walked off the job as a shipping supervisor at a B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch warehouse on Monday, said workers were forced to go on strike to get a fair contract. (Hunter Soo/CBC)The union began targeting liquor distribution earlier this month with an overtime ban. It also put workers in the mining sector on the picket lines last week, just as B.C. is moving to fast-track a number of projects.Its overtime ban at liquor distribution facilities caused anxiety in B.C.’s restaurant and hospitality sector.The B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch has previously been the subject of an overtime ban by members of the B.C. General Employees’ Union. (Ben Nelms/CBC)A spokesperson for B.C.’s Ministry of Finance provided its latest offer to the union. It states that compensation for BCGEU members rose by more than the average inflation rate during the last three years, with the last contract being hammered out in 2022.”Our 2025 Balanced Measures Mandate for negotiations provides fair and reasonable compensation for unionized workers so we can afford the spending commitments that will improve the economic future for everyone,” the spokesperson said.”The bargaining table is where the parties will work out agreements that are fair for workers and for all British Columbians.”With files from the CBC’s Pinki Wong
B.C. public workers’ strike expands to liquor, cannabis distribution warehouses
