Striking LCBO workers remind people of other options

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At 9 a.m. on Tuesday, I sat outside the LCBO store and distribution centre at 1980 Bank St., where dozens of workers walked the picket line. I counted the number of vehicles that passed and the number whose drivers chose to demonstrate their support by honking their horns.

The strike by about 9,000 LCBO workers belonging to the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which began last week, aims to reverse the province’s plan to expand alcohol sales in private sector outlets without also ensuring the security of the LCBO workers’ jobs. According to OPSEU head J.P. Hornick, about 70 per cent of those are casual positions without guaranteed hours, access to benefits or opportunities for promotion.

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I counted 511 passing vehicles, with 29 of them, or about 5.7 per cent, honking their approval of the pickets. It’s a pretty meaningless statistic, but it’s safe to say it doesn’t show anything approaching overwhelming support.

More meaningful, perhaps, were the three employees at the nearby Loblaws Superstore who were busily restocking the beer, wine and cider shelves, following what I was told was yet another busier-than-normal day.

That’s a scene repeating itself in one form or another at other businesses that sell alcohol products, as consumers who typically buy their bottles and cans at the LCBO find them at other places.

Since Friday, for example, sales have increased considerably at Top Shelf Distillers, both online and in-store at their Perth location. That’s a mixed blessing for the distillery. For while the strike may allow it to develop a larger loyal customer base to which it can sell and ship its products, and at a higher profit margin, that increase won’t make up for the loss of lower-margin sales to the LCBO, which will drop to nothing for the duration of the labour action.

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At La Bottega Nicastro and its sister store, ByWard Wine Market, in the ByWard Market, which import and sell Italian wines, beer, seltzers and such specialty spirits as amaros, Campari and fernet, as well as some gin and whisky, the strike has not only resulted in a spike in sales, but it’s also attracted numerous customers who weren’t previously familiar with the shops or aware that they sell alcohol products, most of which aren’t available through the LCBO.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in sales,” said owner Pat Nicastro, “and it’s only growing every day.”

A protracted strike could be the LCBO workers’ undoing, with many consumers discovering that they don’t actually need LCBO stores anymore, at least not in-person ones. According to the LCBO, customers can continue buying products online for the duration of the strike, either through its app or website. And if the strike lasts more than two weeks, 32 stores in Ontario will open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with modified hours.

Additionally, the province, in an effort to torpedo the strikers’ resolve, helpfully notes that apart from ordering online through the board, there are also a further 2,350+ retailers of beer, wine and spirits in Ontario. These include more than 600 wineries and wine retail stores, nearly 400 LCBO Convenience Outlets, almost 375 breweries, about 450 licensed grocery stores and more than 425 The Beer Store locations.

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To help people find them, the government has developed an online interactive map of options across the province. An accompanying video on X shows Premier Doug Ford barbecuing while looking up places in Collingwood to buy craft beers. “Folks,” he declares as he hoists a cold one, “it’s just that simple!”

Unfortunately for the strikers, it is. Rather than rely on passing cars with horns honking, they might consider how many vehicles are going elsewhere to get drinks.

bdeachman@postmedia.com

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