-

WSIB Strike Hits Three Weeks as Management and the Ford Government Fails to Act on Mounting Crisis

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today marks three full weeks on strike for 3,600 members of the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU/CUPE 1750), in the first full-scale work stoppage in the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s (WSIB) 110-year history.

As the Ford government continues to ignore calls to resolve the dispute, the impact on injured workers is growing. Internal WSIB communications recently obtained by the union quietly acknowledge growing claim backlogs contradicting public statements from management and raising further concerns about cuts to service standards.

“This crisis didn’t need to happen, and it can be resolved if WSIB and the Ford government show leadership,” said Harry Goslin, President of OCEU/CUPE 1750. “Instead, they’re sitting on the sidelines while injured workers face delays, Ontario jobs are outsourced, and frontline staff are stretched beyond their limits.”

The strike stems from dangerously high workloads, chronic understaffing, stagnant wages, and a toxic workplace culture. Making matters worse, WSIB has offloaded critical Ontario jobs to U.S.-based firms like BetterUp and Iron Mountain, undermining public services and costing local jobs.

“We’re here because our members care deeply about supporting injured workers, but they are workers too,” said Goslin. “They deserve safe workplaces, fair pay, and respect. That’s what this strike is about.”

WSIB has spent over $14.5 million on U.S. consultants while refusing to invest in the frontline services Ontarians depend on. Meanwhile, workers on the picket lines have faced harassment, lockouts, and surveillance rather than a fair offer at the table.

Despite the disruption, OCEU/CUPE 1750 remains ready to negotiate and end the strike, but the employer must stop the intimidation, end the outsourcing, and return to the table with a deal that addresses the core issues.

“This strike can end tomorrow,” said Goslin. “It’s time for WSIB and the Ford government to stop delaying and start fixing what’s broken.”

mb/cope491

Contacts

For more information, or to arrange an interview with a spokesperson, please contact:

Bill Chalupiak
CUPE Communications Representative
wchalupiak@cupe.ca
416-707-1401

Industry:

CUPE

Release Versions
English

Contacts

For more information, or to arrange an interview with a spokesperson, please contact:

Bill Chalupiak
CUPE Communications Representative
wchalupiak@cupe.ca
416-707-1401

More News From CUPE

Nurses and PSWs among 15 job cuts at Royal Ottawa Place long-term care home

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Resident care and working conditions will suffer as the Royal Ottawa Place long-term care home plans to eliminate 15 positions almost exclusively affecting nurses and personal support workers, according to the Canadian Union of Public Employees 942. ROP houses 64 residents with mental illness, physical limitations or other complex needs. “The majority of residents at the Royal Ottawa Place are not independent, they rely heavily on staff for personal support and medical...

Health care workers decry 38 layoffs at Perley Health in Ottawa, to hold rally on Wednesday afternoon

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Health care staff represented by CUPE 870 will be holding a rally outside the Perley and Rideau Veterans' Health Centre to protest 38 job cuts at the residential care home, as workers demand better staffing levels to improve care. The cuts at the Perley are part of a wave of health care cuts across the province including at hospitals in Ottawa, Hamilton, Niagara and North Bay. CUPE is blaming the provincial government for insufficient funding as the Financial Accountabi...

Hybrid Works! CUPE Members at Ontario Health atHome Stage a Province Wide Day of Action on the First Day of Doug Ford’s Return to Office Mandate

Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hybrid works. Since before the pandemic, workers at Ontario Health atHome have been working remotely to help deliver the essential home-care services Ontarians need. Now, on the whims of the Ford government, these workers are being forced back into office spaces that are not equipped to handle them all at once. Available office spaces have shrunk since 2019, which has resulted in an uneven application of the return to office mandate in the various regions across the pr...
Back to Newsroom