TORONTO, ONTARIO - (April 17, 2015) - The Union representing Beer Store workers across Ontario welcomes the announcement of new investment in existing Beer Store locations but maintains that the current system for selling beer is still best for ensuring a higher standard of safety and social responsibility for consumers, workers and citizens alike.
"While we welcome the news that $100-million will be invested into modernizing Beer Stores locations, we remain very concerned about the social impact of the Clark Report on responsible selling and the safety of workers selling beer in non-Beer Store locations," says Rob Edwards, President of UFCW Local 12R24, the Local Union representing more than 6,000 Beer Store workers across Ontario, in response to the recently released report by the Premier's Advisory Council on Government Assets, chaired by former bank CEO Ed Clark.
"We still believe, and join thousands of Ontarians in believing, that The Beer Store and its employees are best equipped to provide the most socially responsible method for providing beer to countless communities throughout the province." adds Edwards. "That commitment to social responsibility is further supported by the essential role that Beer Store locations and workers serve in one of the world's leading recycling programs."
UFCW Canada National President Paul Meinema says, "As Ontario's leading voice for workers and their communities, we are still waiting for answers to very important questions about responsible selling and sustainability, and how those valuable features of the current system will be addressed if and when the Clark recommendations are implemented by the government. At the same time, we are encouraged to see that with the changes Beer Store locations will be maintained, and with them thousands of good, union jobs, which play such a crucial role in building local economies and in building stronger, healthier communities."
UFCW Canada is Canada's leading and most progressive union, representing more than a quarter of a million workers in Canada's fastest growing industries. UFCW Canada is the country's most innovative organization dedicated to building fairness in workplaces and communities.