Picket lines are up at Liquor Distribution Branch warehouse and distribution operations in Vancouver, Kamloops and Victoria today.

The job action began 11:30pm yesterday at 3200 East Broadway in Vancouver. This site houses the main warehouse, a retail store, and the Vancouver Wholesale Customer Centre. It is also the LDB’s head office.

Pickets also went up this morning at the Kamloops distribution warehouse at 9881 Dallas Drive. Picket lines there will come down tonight at 11:30pm

The Victoria Wholesale Customer Centre at 2219 Government Street will be picketed between 6:00 am and 5:00pm.

All other B.C. government liquor stores will remain open and it will be business as usual.

We’ve not taken the decision to strike lightly, but we think it’s necessary to get the fair and reasonable contract you’ve asked for. We’ve been negotiating since January 2012. We have worked very hard to achieve a deal. So far, the government’s offers fall short of what’s just.

We’ve elected to begin job action at these LDB sites for a variety of reasons: • To support BCGEU members’ wage proposal. Our members identified wage increases as a priority. The government’s last offer would see your pay cheques fall further behind inflation. Members in this bargaining unit haven’t had a pay increase since 2009. • To back our proposal for Sunday liquor store openings province-wide to generate more than $100 million in annual revenue. • To fight back against the privatization of LDB warehouses and the distribution system. NO business case has been made to justify this sell off.

Members directly affected by this work stoppage will be getting more information from picket captains and stewards in the coming hours and days.

We will keep you informed of next steps in the process.