The approval of Initiative 1183 dismantles state controls over liquor that have been in place since Prohibition, but workers at the United Food and Commercial Workers Union on Wednesday were dealing with the other consequences of voters' decision.

KIRO 7 Senior Political Reporter Essex Porter met Margee Engle, who loves her job as a liquor clerk so much, she doesn't mind driving from her home in Olympia to her store on Mercer Island.

Now she knows it will all go away on June 1.

"We're, we're like family, you know? We all work for the same goal and have the same mission," she said.

Porter met Engle, a 13-year state liquor store veteran, after she attended a briefing at the Seattle Liquor Warehouse. She was told the plan is for business as usual through the holiday season and then to start selling stores in January.

"Everyone was crying. It was hard, it was hard," she said.

Grocery clerks are part of the same union, and KIRO 7 heard at union headquarters that many are afraid of what will happen when they are selling liquor, as well. Some fear more thefts and confrontations with customers who demand liquor, even when they aren't allowed to buy it.

Just last month, KIRO 7 visited the brand new premium liquor store in West Seattle. On Wednesday, we spoke with manager Molly Wheeler.

"Shock," she said, reacting to the vote. "It's not just the liquor board employees. I mean, my son works for the warehouse, my boyfirend works for a trucking company that delivers. That's three of us."
Porter also ran into Vicki Schmitz-Block, who was buying liquor for the holidays.

"I think it's something government doesn't need to do particulary," she said of liquor sales. "Maybe they can use the money for teachers and things like that. But I do feel badly for the people who work here."
Wheeler said she had a positive outlook on the time she has left.

"I'm going to go in here, I'm going to work until this is done and have my head proud that I was a Washington State Liquor Control Board employee," she said.

But workers will have to cope with worry in the next several months.

"My home. I don't want to lose my home," Engle said.