Pa. Liquor Store Workers' Union Fighting Privatization Plan
By Tim Jimenez
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The union representing Pennsylvania's Wine and Spirits Store employees says they'll continue their fight against privatizing the state store system.
Wendell Young IV, President of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, represents 3,500 out of the 5,000 Wine and Spirits store employees. This landmark House vote is fuel to his fire.
"We're going to do the same thing we've done for the last 40 years, we're going to fight."
Young says he's fighting for his members to keep their jobs, not guaranteed with a switch to private business.
He says there's no need to overhaul a system that's not broken. "Keeps our communities safer, returns a handsome profit, provides good jobs that are completely paid for out of the proceeds of the system and the system has no debt."
Young says modernization should be the focus, citing extended Sunday hours, having direct shipment and even opening Wine and Spirits Stores within grocery stores as examples.
