VANCOUVER, BC – Unionized workers at Granville Island Brewing have voted in favour of a strike action, and plan to walk off the job as soon as Saturday July 8th.
As reported by Vancouver Is Awesome, the latest collective agreement between employees and the company – which is owned by Molson Coors – expired in May, and negotiations on a new contract stalled in June over wage demands.
Wages at the brewery currently start at $16.75 per hour, with the majority of workers making $20.97 an hour, both of which fall short of the $24.08 that is considered the living wage in Vancouver.
The report also notes that the workers oppose Granville Island’s plans to hire lower-waged temporary workers for the role of “Brewer’s Assistant”, and believe that unionized workers should perform that work according to their Collective Bargaining Agreement.
According to a campaign page on the website of Beverage Workers Rising, unionized staff at the brewery primarily work in “the retail store handling shipping and receiving product, stocking coolers and shelves, and selling beer and merchandise to the public. However, members also assist in the brewery with production and work on the canning line.”
“We are trying to protect good jobs for workers in Vancouver, but the brewery seems to be solely interested in profits,” said Aaron Nalconechny, brewery employee for almost two years, in a statement. “They are pushing to replace our labour in some areas with lower-paid, non-union, temp work.”
Granville Island workers are inviting the public to join them on the picket line at the brewery every Saturday from 12:00 noon to 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM throughout the summer.
Source: Vancouver Is Awesome
Photo: Granville Island Brewing