Note to readers:聽This story was updated on July 22, 2024 to reflect the news that members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union had ratified a deal with the LCBO on July 21 and would end the strike.
A two-week-long strike by more than 9,000 Ontario liquor store workers ended July 22 when a deal was reached and staff returned to work. Earlier this month, a viral social media post claimed that retail employees at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario make $39 per hour. This is false. The starting wage of a liquor store clerk sits below $18 per hour. Floor staff top out below $33, and the vast majority earn a wage that's closer to the lowest rate than the highest one.
The on X, formerly known as Twitter, presents side-by-side photographs of an LCBO worker and a waste collector. It states, 鈥淎n LCBO worker makes $39 per hour to tell you where your fav booze is in their store.
鈥淭his garbage man makes probably approx $25 an hour busting his ass for 12 hours a day, 5 days a week in every weather possible, cleaning up your city.鈥
Garnering more than a half-million views as of publication, the tweet goes on to ask rhetorically: 鈥淲ho is providing more value to society?鈥
Rating: False
More than 7,200 customer service representatives 鈥 retail staff 鈥 work at the LCBO, accounting for roughly four in five of its more than 9,000 unionized employees, .
Of those clerks, about 70 per cent 鈥 more than 5,000 鈥 are casually employed, says the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.
鈥淭his means they don鈥檛 have any guaranteed hours, and often can鈥檛 get enough hours to qualify for any benefits. Many of them are struggling to make ends meet and may never have the opportunity for a permanent part-time or full-time job,鈥 said union spokeswoman Katie Arnup in an email.
The fewer hours that come with casual employment also mean it takes longer to climb the pay grid, which requires a certain number of hours before advancing to the next pay level.
Casual customer service reps earn $22.59 per hour on average, . Part-time cashiers face an hourly wage ceiling of $23.40, according to the latest .
Full-time workers enjoy better pay. Customer service reps now start at $17.85 per hour and max out at $32.58 per hour 鈥 often after about seven to nine years on the job 鈥 the union and said.
More than three-quarters of its full-time retail employees earn that top rate, the 鈥 but fewer than one-third of all those customer-facing staff are full-time, according to the union.
鈥淭he average worker is making around $22 per hour,鈥 Arnup said, referring to all striking LCBO employees, including warehouse and headquarters staff.
One clerk position does earn up to $38.85 an hour, according to the contract, but it is not a front-line role.
鈥淭hey are like a customer care advisor. They work at head office supporting 鈥 the depots鈥 鈥 warehouses 鈥 Arnup said. As for how many workers hold the job, 鈥渢here is one.鈥
Other roles such as 鈥渕aintenance mechanics鈥 and 鈥渆lectronic engineers鈥 can earn upwards of $41 and $42 per hour. But these are not the retail jobs the tweet referred to.
While the X post, made by a and cryptocurrency brand ambassador, suggests that a typical LCBO worker earns $39 an hour, the vast majority earn far less. Even store managers top out at $36.79, according to the collective agreement.
鈥楪arbage man鈥
The post also says waste collectors make about $25 an hour.
In Toronto, where trash collection east of Yonge Street is handled by unionized municipal employees 鈥 on the west side, the service is 鈥 recycling and garbage truck drivers and workers earn .
The average pay for truck drivers at GFL hovers between $25 and $32 per hour, according to career and employment sites and .
GFL did not respond to questions on employee wages.
In Ottawa, waste collectors employed by the municipality earn either $28.53 per hour or, if they have a more senior position, $29.18 per hour, according to the city.
鈥淏oth positions are 40 hours full-time,鈥 said Shelley McDonald, director of solid waste service. That suggests annual pay of between $59,340 and $60,700.
鈥榁alue to society鈥
In response to the X post鈥檚 prod about 鈥渨ho is providing more value to society,鈥 the union said LCBO workers help generate $2.5 billion in annual dividends that go into public services ranging from health care to education and critical infrastructure.
鈥淟CBO workers are extremely proud that their work gives back to Ontario in such a profound way,鈥 Arnup said.
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