BCGEU strike expands to new cities, union warns escalation could still hit liquor distribution

Members of the British Columbia General Employees' Union picket outside an ICBC driver licensing office, in Surrey, B.C., Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

The B.C. General Employees’ Union is escalating its strike action, expanding picket lines to more cities across the province this week.

Union president Paul Finch confirmed Monday that additional members will walk out at about a dozen new sites, including in Nelson, Williams Lake, Kamloops, Smithers, Nanaimo, and Fort St. John.

“Tomorrow morning you’re going to see picket lines come up in cities across the province,” Finch said. “That’s over 1,000 more BCGEU members joining their colleagues on the picket line demanding fair wages.”

Liquor distribution not yet targeted — but still possible

Despite claims from industry insiders over the weekend, Finch stressed that liquor distribution warehouses are not part of the latest strike expansion.

“We will not be targeting the liquor distribution centers, despite some creative reports we heard,” Finch said. “That’s not on the list of sites we’ve given at this time. But let me be clear—absolutely everything is on the table.”

That uncertainty still worries restaurants, who remember the impact from the last strike in 2022 when liquor warehouses were shut down for two weeks.

Ian Tostenson, president and CEO of the B.C. Restaurant and Food Services Association, said his members are bracing for possible shortages.

“Most restaurants will get a delivery once a week, if not twice a week,” Tostenson explained. “So if this was going on for more than three days, you’ll start to see out-of-stocks in restaurants—absolutely, for sure.”

He warned that during the 2022 strike, businesses were forced to scramble.

“We did, in fact, shift some of our purchasing into local wineries and breweries,” Tostenson said. “But it’s not just picking up the phone and getting a delivery—you’ve got to adjust pricing, contact new suppliers, make changes. We should not be part of this dispute.”

New picket lines forming

The BCGEU has provided CTV News a list of addresses it will be picketing at on Tuesday. According to a search online, the following buildings will be targeted.

Victoria

976 Meares St., a B.C. Public Service Agency office

617 Government St., the Financial Services Branch

Nanaimo

2080 Labieux Rd., the Integrated Land Management Bureau

2100 Labieux Rd., the Ministry of Transportation

Surrey

10475 138 St., Surrey North Community Corrections Office

14323 57 Ave., Surrey Pretrial Service Centre

Kamloops

441 Columbia St., FrontCounter B.C. office

447 Columbia St., Ministry of Transportation

Williams Lake

640 Borland St., Ministry of Environment and Parks

Kelowna

478 Bernard Ave., Service B.C. office

Cranbrook

117 10th Ave. South, Cranbrook Community Corrections

Nelson

566 Stanley St., Ministry of Children and Family Development

Fort St. John

10003 110th Ave., Ministry of Environment and Parks

Smithers

3726 Alfred Ave., FrontCounter BC

Background on negotiations

The BCGEU, representing more than 34,000 public service workers, has been on strike since Sept. 2 after talks with the B.C. Public Service Agency broke down in July. The union says wages have lagged behind inflation for the past decade.

The union’s most recent proposal calls for a four per cent wage increase in 2025 and 4.25 per cent in 2026, along with targeted adjustments and incorporating bonuses into base salaries. The province’s last offer was lower—1.5 per cent in the first year and two per cent in the second.

Finch said government negotiators did not return to the table last week despite the union’s bargaining committee being in Victoria ready to meet.

“Workers in this province are falling behind,” Finch said. “That’s why 93 per cent of our members voted to reject an unacceptable offer.”

Lessons from 2022

In August 2022, BCGEU picket lines shut down liquor distribution warehouses for about two weeks. The disruption left many restaurants and bars short on product, and some shortages stretched on for weeks afterward.

Tostenson says that experience shows how quickly small businesses can be hit.

“For consumers, they kind of wonder—‘is my favorite restaurant still going to be open, does it have my favorite cocktail or wine?’” he said. “If this gets protracted, it just adds another layer of uncertainty to an industry already under pressure.”

For now, Finch says the union is focusing strike action on government services rather than the public—but warns that could change if talks remain stalled.

“We’ve prioritized not impacting the general public,” Finch said. “After a while, if government does not come to the table, that will change.”

CTV News has reached out to the premier’s office for a response to the latest escalation in job action.