CUPE 1750 members on the picket lines in Thunder Bay - (CJ Goater/Acadia Broadcasting)
No new deal for unionized employees at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
The parties were back at the table over the weekend, but were unable to reach common ground.
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) says they remain at the table ready to reach a deal.
They are calling on the union to return to negotiations with fair and realistic expectations.
The WSIB highlights that they are currently proposing above-inflation wage increases, and that 73 per cent of union members will be earning above $100,000 by 2027.
According to the insurance board, case loads have been reduced by 60 per cent since 2021, and more staff have been added to the case management team.
“We have an amazing team that does tough but excellent work,” said President and CEO of the WSIB, Jeff Lang. “When people are hurt at work, we help them recover and return to what matters, and we’re getting the best results in a decade.”
“I hope our team sees our position as a genuine effort to put this strike behind us and get back to what we do best: helping people.”
The WSIB continues to operate during the strike.
Meanwhile, OCEU/CUPE 1750 remains on the picket lines after the WSIB rejected their latest offer.
“After hearing nothing from the employer for over a week, the union and employer met to exchange proposals, but remain far apart on wages, workload, and employer cuts to seniority rights,” explained a union spokesperson in a release.
“The union has made significant movements to try and find a fair compromise, but after significant setbacks, the mediator made the decision to call-off the mediation.”
NDP MPP for Thunder Bay–Superior North and Shadow Minister for Seniors and Accessibility, with responsibility for WSIB and Injured Workers, Lise Vaugeois, joined the picket lines in Thunder Bay on Monday.
“Instead of listening to injured workers and front-line employees, WSIB management and the Ford government decided to shut them out and contract out critical services to the US,” said Vaugeois. “Now injured workers are paying the price with delays and backlogs while employers pocket millions in unjustified rebates. Ontarians deserve better.”
According to the union, the WSIB has not presented their own proposal in over a week.
The WSIB’s first strike in its history has been ongoing for over two weeks.
