Workers at the flagship outlet of a popular Victoria liquor store chain have joined the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
Nearly 30 employees from Cascadia Liquor’s Quadra Village location voted to join SEIU Local 2. Now they head into bargaining with their employer for what the union called much-needed improvements in their workplace.
“The cost of living has never been higher and it’s workers like us who bear the brunt of that the most,” said Quadra Village Cascadia Liquor worker Amelie Guillemette, in a statement. “Forming our union is merely us giving ourselves a chance to make ends meet every month.”
In a statement, Cascadia Liquor said it understands it is expensive to live in Greater Victoria and regularly reviews its pay rates while making adjustments to be able to recruit and retain top employees while being competitive in the marketplace. It noted its employees at the unionized store already earn, on average, far more than other private liquor stores across the province – including other unionized stores.
Employees also receive bonuses and are supplied a 100 per cent employer-paid extended health and dental plan, exceeding that of other private Greater Victoria liquor stores.
Workers at the Quadra Village location heard about the recent unionization of private liquor store workers in the Lower Mainland and Okanagan and were inspired to unionize, according to SEIU Local 2.
“What I like the most about unionizing is the fact that it’s the workers who are driving it,” Guillemette said. “We’re grasping our opportunity to raise standards for wages and working conditions within the private liquor industry, it starts with us.”
Cascadia said the unionization was a surprise and the company conducts annual engagement surveys and receives scores in the high 80th percentile.
Since 2020, it noted all of its store employees received an average increase of more than 30 per cent. “Few employers in the province, and no other private liquor stores that they are aware of, have provided salary increases at that level.”
Cascadia is also introducing a tip option in its stores with 100 per cent going directly to non-management employees. The program was in development for eight months and based on its initial launch, will add another $4 an hour on average for employees.
ALSO READ: Union vote begins on B.C. port deal that could end months-long dispute
