“We’re going to see sell-outs over the weekend for these popular items,” said Kieran Baldwin, general manager of Legacy Liquor Store in Olympic Village. “We’re definitely going to run out of stuff,” added Allura Fergie, co-owner of Fets Whiskey Kitchen on Commercial Drive. LDB workers are part of the approximately 33,000 public sector employees represented by the BC Government Employees Union (BCGEU). The strike action is part of the union’s strategy as it negotiates a new contract with the provincial government. “Wage increases that allow them to catch up,” BCGEU President Stephanie Smith said when asked what the workers were aiming for. “Also, just as importantly, some form of inflation protection for those salaries – The same kind of salary protection that they themselves enjoy as MLAs and have enjoyed since 2007.” BCGEU has already rejected an offer of about an 11 percent raise over three years, plus a $2,500 signing bonus. “I think the unions are going to draw a line in the sand here around this,” said Christopher McLeod, a professor of occupational environmental health at UBC. “I think we’re going to have a little bumpy ride.” McLeod says it could be a potentially costly and precedent-setting contract for the NDP government to sign, as other public sector unions like the BC Nurses Union and the BC Federation of Teachers could follow suit under the clause “Me too”, meaning whatever BCGEU gets in the contract, they could get that too. “This actually introduces fiscal uncertainty for the government in terms of how much it can commit, so it’s a challenging environment,” McLeod said. Finance Minister Selena Robinson has not been made available for comment on the negotiations, with the department directing CTV News to a statement sent Aug. 15 by Ravi Kahlon, the province’s Minister of Jobs, Recovery and Innovation. “Our government’s Shared Recovery Order offers the most generous pay rise in at least 30 years,” the statement said. “It provides an extra boost to low-wage workers who are hit hardest in times of high inflation and is designed to put money in workers’ pockets sooner rather than later.” Meanwhile, Smith hinted at more action on labor if talks continue to stall. “The tool in the toolbox that workers have in terms of leverage is to withdraw their work,” Smith said. Smith would not confirm specific numbers the BCGEU is seeking, or what other action may result if the collective bargaining process does not reach a conclusion. In addition to the BCGEU, nearly 350,000 more public sector employees are also seeking new contracts with the provincial government.
