WSIB Strike Set to Surpass One-Month Mark as Employer Stalls Resolution

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TORONTO — With more than 3,600 Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) employees poised to pass the one-month mark on strike, the union representing the workers says the agency continues to obstruct a fair resolution – putting injured workers, staff well-being, and the public compensation system at greater risk every day.

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Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU/CUPE 1750) says it has made repeated, good-faith efforts to bring the strike to an end – including participating in intensive mediated talks and offering significant compromises on core issues. But WSIB leadership continues to delay, reject fair pathways forward, and push proposals that fail to address the real problems front-line workers face.

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“We are now heading into the second month of this strike because WSIB won’t do the right thing,” said Harry Goslin, President of OCEU/CUPE 1750. “We’ve made real movement. We’ve shown we’re ready to deal. But management refuses to listen – to their workers, or to the evidence in front of them about the crisis they’ve created.”

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The strike – the first in WSIB’s 110-year history – began on May 21 and has disrupted services province-wide. Delays in claims processing are growing. Shortcuts and backlogs are piling up. Meanwhile, a follow-up survey from the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) found that WSIB staff are reporting rates of anxiety and depression more than double the national average – among the worst numbers OHCOW has seen in a decade.

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Despite that, the union says WSIB walked away from the most recent opportunity for progress. The employer has the option to present their best and final offer to the union but WSIB squashed that option.

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“Bargaining has dragged on since February. What is WSIB waiting for? This could have been over already,” Goslin said. “Instead of letting their own employees vote, WSIB blocked the process. That’s not bargaining – that’s sabotage.”

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OCEU/CUPE 1750 members are fighting for fair wages, safe workloads, and an end to the outsourcing of Ontario jobs to private U.S.-based firms. The union says it is ready to return to the table – but the employer and the Ford government must stop the delay tactics and get serious about reaching a fair deal.

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“We’re still here. We’re not backing down. And the public deserves to know why this strike is still going: because WSIB leadership refuses to fix what they broke,” Goslin said.

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Contacts

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For more information, please contact:

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Bill Chalupiak

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CUPE Communications Representative

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416-707-1401

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