Unionize Steam Whistle

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ONLINE INFO SESSION

SEIU LOCAL 2
ONLINE INFO SESSION

DATE: WED, Jul 24, 2024
TIME: 7:30–8:30PM EST
WHERE: Online

Join the Unionize Steam Whistle Zoom information session. Join us to learn why your co-workers are working to form their union! The information session is an opportunity for you to learn more about unions, so that you can make an informed decision about unionizing your workplace.

Speaking at the event will be Yoshio Kimura, a worker at a unionized craft brewery that is a similar size to Steam Whistle Brewery! Yoshio is a worker from the packaging department at Turning Point Brewery in Delta, BC and is a member of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2. We hope to see you there!

Member Voices

“I support a union because we need better wages, benefits and a pension.”

—Santiago Saenz- Lafebre
Brewery Department

“Putting an end to this chaos and giving workers a voice on the job is why I support joining a union.”

—Nick Holden
Brewery Department

“I support a Union because we shouldn’t have to worry about job security on a daily basis.”

—Geoff Albrecht
Brewery Department

“I support a Union because good hard-working employees should not be disposable and taken advantage of.”

—Dani America
Brewery Department

“I support a Union because everyone deserves a living wage.”

—Parminder Bhullar
Delivery Driver

“I’ve been where you guys are now; low wages, no heat breaks, and no real job security. I’ve seen people get laid off and new hires brought in a month later. When we organized our Union and signed our CBA, all of that stopped. We wrote our own future. Now we can work towards an even better future and so can you.”

—Yoshio Kimura
SEIU Local 2 member @ Turning Point Brewery, Delta BC

Hear from Steam Whistle workers

Why we are unionizing

We are Unionizing Steam Whistle to make it a better place to work.

Right now, we have no say in what happens at our workplace. Over the past few years, our wages have barely improved while rent and grocery prices keep going up. Many of co-workers have left the job because their pay was not good enough. This causes dysfunction on the shop floor as experienced people leave the company.

Over the past few years, we have seen Steam Whistle fire dozens of our co-workers for no good reason at all. Everyone is constantly paranoid that they will be the next person Greg Taylor decides to let go.

Almost half of our workplace haves no health benefits. That means we have to pay out of pocket to see the dentist, buy glasses, or get medication.

We get no heat breaks at Steam Whistle, even though we work in a building with no windows.

Part timers have inconsistent hours, often not knowing how much work they will get one week to the next. We have no say over our schedule and are often given almost no notice before shifts.

At unionized breweries like Turning Point, things are different. Workers have job security through seniority rights, just cause discipline, and adequate staffing provisions. Workers have heat breaks, health benefits, and consistent hours. Right now, part timers in packaging make $17 per hour at Steam Whistle. At Turning Point, packaging workers make $21.95 after 3 months on the job for doing the exact same work!

We all deserve job security, benefits, and a living wage!

When we organize our Union, we can improve our workplace by negotiating a legally binding contract called a collective agreement. With a collective agreement, we can win:

A Living Wage.
Significant yearly wage increases.
Job security.
Health benefits for all.
Consistent hours for part timers.
Heat breaks.
A path to full time through seniority.
A better functioning workplace due to lower staff turnover.
More paid sick days.
An afternoon shift premium of 75 cents per hour or more.
A performance bonus.
More money for safety boots.
Respect and fair treatment.
A safer and healthier workplace.
Protecting good current practices at the workplace with a legally binding contract.
A voice in the workplace.
And more!

LEGAL COMPLAINT FILED

In April 2024, we contacted the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2 to help us unionize our workplace. Over the following weeks, we spoke to our co-workers about how we can make Steam Whistle a better place to work. We gained momentum as more and more of our co-workers signed up and we formed an Organizing Committee in May 2024.

In May 2024, Steam Whistle became aware of the Union drive. Since then, the employer has engaged in underhanded tactics to silence pro union voices at the workplace. We strongly believe that Steam Whistle has violated labour law. We have filed a legal complaint with the Ontario Labour Relations Board (ORLB). We will not let the employer intimidate us. It is the right of every worker in Ontario to form a Union without employer interference.

Contact an Organizer: Brock Bodo, 437-551-8246, bbodo@seiulocal2.ca

TAKE ACTION

Want to support Alyssa, Kelsey, Pam and their co-workers? Send Cascadia a message.

Cascadia needs to do better for workers in our community. Tell them to pay workers a fair wage and treat them with respect! Contact them through their online form.

You can also email them at info@cascadialiquor.com.

BACKGROUND

We need wages that allow us to live here but Cascadia doesn’t seem to agree.

Living in Victoria is expensive! Every worker in our city needs fair wages and respect. We need reasonable and reliable scheduled raises that keep up with the increasing cost of living.

Cascadia liquor store workers from three locations came together to form a Union because we needed improvements and fairness. Workers from the Quadra Store applied for certification on July 24, 2023; workers from the Eagle Creek Store applied on October 15, 2023; and workers from the Colwood Store on November 6, 2023.

There are approx. 60 workers in our Union, 45 of whom are regularly scheduled. Most of us make between $18-19 per hour. The lower end of that is not far from the June 1st minimum wage.

Cascadia workers simply want increases that will bring us level with workers in other unionized private liquor store chains in BC: a $19.50 probationary rate, a $20 starting rate, and $21 after a year of service. A little more with additional seniority.

But Cascadia’s proposal would provide a base wage of only $18.85 for most workers. On top of that you would have to work over 2600 hours to qualify for the next raise (which would still be under $20). With the number of shifts we get, that could take 2 to 3 years!

We believe Cascadia should invest in its workers – not in fighting us.

They spent money on multiple lawyers trying to stop us from bargaining as one group. They hired an HR consultant to conduct bargaining who took very aggressive positions resulting in the situation we are in now. The company’s decision-makers have not come to bargain with us – only low-level management who are not authorized to make decisions have come to the table. They have shown a willingness to spend money to fight our efforts for a fair contract – but are not to provide us with fair wages.

This is our first collective agreement, and in some respects, Cascadia seems intent on seeing us go backwards.

For example, they want to extend the probation period from 3 to 5 months. We hope Cascadia agrees that good jobs with fairness and dignified pay are important in our community!

We enjoy serving the clients in our community, but we need to earn fair wages to continue doing so. We believe Victoria agrees.

The Cascadia Liquor stores are owned by the Truffles Group, which also own Truffles Catering, Habitat Catering, Flight Cannabis (three locations), Victoria Butterfly Gardens, and thirteen Cascadia Liquor store locations.

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