Union president joins WSIB picket lines in the north as strike enters its fourth week

The president of the union representing striking WSIB visited the picket line in North Bay on Tuesday, calling for the employer to make a fair deal.

As the WSIB strike drags on, Ontario Compensation Employees Union president Harry Goslin visited the picket line in North Bay on Tuesday to update them on contract negotiations.

The nearly four-week work stoppage is the first strike in the WSIB’s 110-year history.

“The employer responded to the union’s counteroffer with the same offer that they have been tabling last week,” Goslin said.

“We said to the employer, ‘It’s time for you to table your final offer. Give us your final and best offer. We’ll turn our minds to it. We’d like to bring that to our members and let them decide.’ WSIB says they’re not prepared to table their final offer. So obviously they just want to continue this this lockout.”

Goslin places the blame squarely on the employer.

“This is the only CEO and chairperson who hates unions, does not want to meet, and has refused to meet with me,” he said.

“Get over it. We don’t have to like each other to do business and get this deal done.”

A total of 3,600 unionized workers, including around 30 staff members in North Bay and around 140 in Sudbury, were locked out May 21.

A WSIB spokesperson told CTV News that a new contract could be had if Goslin accepted “yes for an answer.”

“We’ve talked about wages. We have an offer on the table to make sure that 75 per cent of unionized employees make $100,000 or more,” Aaron Lazarus, WSIB vice-president of communications, told CTV News in a Tuesday afternoon interview.

“I know that’s a lot for North Bay families and right across Ontario. I think this team is worth it because they do really great work.”

The WSIB provides wage-loss benefits, medical coverage and support to people after a work-related injury or illness. It’s funded by premiums paid by Ontario businesses.

The key issues in this work stoppage are wage increases, staffing levels and workload. Union leaders allege rising caseloads and chronic understaffing are leading to worker burnout.

Union, WSIB trade accusations

“This employer has lost their way. They are not a leader of the Ontario’s injured,” Goslin stated said.

The WSIB maintains that the union continues to misrepresent the facts, noting that since 2023, more than 100 net new staff have been added and that the average caseload for handling physical injury claims is down 60 per cent from its peak in 2021.

“What’s important for people to know is that if they’re on the job, WSIB is always going to be here to help them,” Lazarus said.

“There is no backlog of claims. Any claim that comes in gets registered on the same day, or we’re making decisions on claims where somebody has missed work or housing that for people to make sure that if they need access to health care right now, they get it.”

Lazarus said that the WSIB is achieving its “best operating results in a decade.”

The WSIB says 97 per cent of claims have an allowance decision within 10 days, up from 89 per cent in 2019, and that 82 per cent of people receive their first payment from the WSIB within 15 days of filing their claim.

On Tuesday, striking workers rallied in front of Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli’s Main Street office to deliver a letter demanding to know why the Ford government is allowing the WSIB to “continue to play games at the bargaining table.”

“The Ford government has inserted themselves into approving the WSIB mandate for bargaining, which is wrong,” Goslin said.

CTV News reached out to the Ontario Ministry of Labour for a response. However, the ministry declined to comment, referring media inquiries back to the WSIB.

As workers wave flags and hold signs, they continue to say that they want a deal, but one that ensures they have the resources to help injured workers.