Nearly 4,000 WSIB workers engaged in ‘full’ strike, union says

Unionized WSIB employees picket outside London WSIB office on Fullarton Street. (CTV News/Bryan Bicknell)

About 4,000 employees at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) are now engaged in a full strike after starting with rolling strike action, the union has confirmed to CTV News Toronto.

Members of CUPE Local 1750 have been at picket lines across Ontario since last Thursday, after conversations between management and the union stalled.

The union has previously accused the WSIB of failing to put forward a meaningful offer.

The union has said that wages and workload are among the biggest points of contention. A spokesperson for the WSIB says the union has not responded to its latest offer, adding Local 1750 has “misled” its members into thinking they would be able to return to work and “do a rolling strike at some point.”

In a news release issued on Monday, the WSIB said that it has been able to continue to provide services despite the strike.

The union said on Monday that there have been “unconfirmed reports” that their employer contracted a telephone service to step in and cover the role of the employees on strike.

“Many of our members have received warning letters from the employer threatening discipline for being involved in legal strike action that is protectedby the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” chief steward Nicole Francis said in a release. “Now we are hearing reports that the WSIB may be hiring scabs to do our work. It’s shameful.”

A WSIB spokesperson argues the union has “no idea what they’re talking about,” adding “hundreds” of union members are choosing to go to work.

“I would challenge them to produce one of those letters so that we can understand what they’re talking about,” Aaron Lazarus, vice president of communications at the company, told CTV News Toronto, adding the only complaints they have heard are from employees choosing to work at this time and are purportedly experiencing “bullying and harassment” from union colleagues.

“I don’t know if that’s what the union is talking about, but those are the only letters that I’m aware of.”

The union says it has sent the WSIB a cease-and-desist letter over the weekend, in response to the “threatening letters sent to its members.”

This strike marks the first in the organization’s history as the union says their employer failed to address their workload issues, “stagnant pay,” and a “toxic” workplace environment.

“My coworkers and I are taking a stand—right now, this year, this round of bargaining—to defend our own wellness and standard of living, and to fight for a WSIB that prioritizes workers and their needs,” OCEU/CUPE 1750 president Harry Goslin said at a media event held over the weekend.

The WSIB serves more than 5.3 million people across thousands of workplaces in the province, the agency says. It provides wage-loss benefits, medical coverage and support returning to work after a work-related injury or illness.

The company says it will continue to serve during the strike, adding anyone in need of their services can head to its website at any time.