VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Workers at two unionized liquor stores in Berezan are receiving awards after a mediation at the BC Labor Relations Board Thursday, which settled a complaint from the Service Employees’ International Union Local 2.
The pay increase is retroactive to September 1, the day seven other Berezan stores implemented a pay increase.
“Winning this agreement is a step toward transparency and fairness,” said Clair Poule, a supervisor at the Port Moody site. “These values are extremely important in any team work and are some of the larger goals that we hope to achieve through collective bargaining.” It is common for supervisors not to be senior executives in the industry.
The settlement also requires the company to post the notice in a conspicuous place at all non-union stores and email all employees telling them that the Kelowna and Port Moody stores will receive the same raise .
The Berezan Hospitality Group operates nine liquor stores across BC, as well as a ski resort, casinos and other businesses. Three liquor stores won their merger with SEIU Local 2 in August and early September.
After unionizing the first two stores — Kelowna and Port Moody — Berezan management extended a 9.76% increase to all non-union locations, effective September 1.
In response, SEIU Local 2 filed an unfair labor practice with the BC Labor Relations Boardwhich alleged that the timing of these wage increases and the exclusion of unionized workers discriminated against unionized businesses and was intended to discourage non-union workers from joining the SEIU.
Despite this, workers are working at a third site in Surrey, just a day after the wage increases went into effect applied to unionize at the SEIU.
“It’s important to ensure that workers across the company are treated fairly in terms of pay increases, but issues like…
