ARC Liquor store employees in Kelowna officially take strike action

Failure to reach a first contract has resulted in an Armstrong Regional Co-op liquor store location in Kelowna, B.C., going on strike.

“We’ve formed a union to get collective bargaining going and the co-op has stopped bargaining with us, they left the table, so we want to get them back to the table to talk with us,” ARC Liquor employee Julia Scott said.

At the start of negotiations, workers were pushing for wage increases to match inflation, increased benefits and bereavement pay.

However, according to Service Employees International Union Local 2, the union representing the workers, talks went south when monetary issues were brought to the table.

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A strike notice was issued on Wednesday, and workers officially took action on Saturday at 9 a.m.

“(The co-op) was willing to negotiate on different things that were not financial so that’s part of why it’s confusing; they could support us on this as well but they have not shown us that respect,” Scott said.

The strike affects about seven employees.

A statement on the ARC liquor website reads, “While we respect the rights of our employees to take this step, we remain committed to continuing negotiations and working toward a fair resolution.”

“We’re not expecting ARC Liquor to become a living wage employer, we’re just asking for a cost-of-living adjustment to keep up with inflation,” said Nicole Cabrejos, North Okanagan Labour Council president.

“I know inflation is going down but they’re never going to catch up if they can’t even get simple gains like this.”

The ARC Liquor location on Gordon Drive in Kelowna is the only one of its five stores that is unionized and on strike, and its members say they will remain on the picket lines until a deal is reached.

“I’d rather be at work doing my job, helping customers, spreading product knowledge but I’m happy to be here fighting for what’s right,” Scott said.

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