The union representing workers at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, WSIB, are in a legal strike position following the failure of WSIB management to come to the table with any meaningful offer. The union has been trying to get the employer to deliver a response on key issues around workload, wages, and union representation.The union is commencing job action on May 21, with rolling strikes planned for Thursday and Friday.
“Our members are committed to supporting injured workers in Ontario. We do the work we do because we care about the people behind the case files, but we are workers to, and right now our employer is trying to bully us into accepting the status quo,” said Harry Goslin, president of OCEU. “We have done everything we can to try and negotiate, but without a willing partner at the table we are unable to reach an agreement. Instead, the management team is trying to sew division in our union with lies and threats. They are clearly not interested in finding common ground.”
The union will be holding a media availability at noon on May 22 from their picket line outside of the WSIB office at 200 Front Street West. Representatives from CUPE Ontario, OPSEU, and the Ontario Federation of Labour will also be in attendance.
Picket lines will also be forming in Kingston, London, North Bay, Ottawa, Sault Ste Marie, St. Catherines, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Timmins, and Windsor. Local spokespeople will be available for local media in those locations as well.