Booze could be hard to come by on the Canada Day long weekend with unionized workers at the LCBO in a legal strike position starting June 26.

The date was set Friday after the Ministry of Labour issued a no-board report, giving the Ontario Public Services Employees Union and the liquor monopoly 17 days to reach a deal before a strike or lockout is possible.

Contract talks will resume next week as the clock ticks toward the deadline while the LCBO extends hours at some stores.

“As the long weekend approaches, we would encourage all of our customers, both retail and wholesale, to ensure they have made their purchases prior to the strike deadline,” the liquor store said in a statement.

“We are committed to ensuring that we stay focused and take whatever time is needed to negotiate a collective agreement,” the statement added.

“We have made forward progress and are hopeful that we will see continued progress when we return to the bargaining table.”

The next steps are “up to the employer,” said Denise Davis, chair of the bargaining team representing 8,000 liquor store workers in OPSEU.

The union accuses the LCBO of leaving workers “trapped” in part-time positions for decades and charges employment practices leave too many liquor store workers vulnerable.

“If Kathleen Wynne wants to take concrete action to match her lofty promises of improved working conditions for vulnerable workers, she has the power to do that — right here, and right now,” union president Warren (Smokey) Thomas said in reference to the premier’s new workplace legislation.

“Whether she tells her managers to join with us to build a better LCBO, for workers and Ontarians, or lets the clock run down and the picket lines go up, is now up to her.”

The LCBO disputes the union allegations, saying wages are “generous” with part-time wages topping out at more than $27 an hour, and more than half the casual employees getting more than 1,000 hours per year.

Under a recent arbitration award, the LCBO will post and fill 200 permanent full-time jobs, starting with 100 this month.

“The LCBO wants to reach a negotiated agreement that reflects the important work our employees do while allowing the LCBO to be responsive to evolving customer interests, needs and shopping patterns,” the Crown agency said.

Pay levels are “some of the highest wages in the retail sector in Canada,” added the LCBO statement, which noted that almost all part-time retail employees got increases and retroactive payments from the arbitration.

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Should a strike occur, thirsty customers will still be able to buy beer, cider and wine in about 200 supermarkets, as well as liquor from craft distilleries and wine from wine shops and wineries. Beer Stores and craft breweries will also be open.

The government’s new workplace legislation would improve protections for part-time workers, raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2019 and increase the legal minimum for holidays to three weeks after five years working at a company. That’s up from two weeks now.