OCEU/CUPE 1750 President to Join Barrie Picket Line as WSIB Strike Enters Fourth Week

BARRIE, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the strike by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) workers stretches into its fourth week, Harry Goslin, President of the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU/CUPE 1750), will join the picket line in Barrie on Wednesday, June 18 at 10:00 a.m., to support members in their fight for a fair contract, safer working conditions, and respect on the job.

Goslin will speak directly with striking workers and deliver remarks, highlighting the urgent need for the employer to stop blocking the path to resolution.

Where:

• Attorney General of Ontario – MPP Doug Downey’s Office
  20 Bell Farm Rd, Barrie

Time:

• 10:00 a.m.

“WSIB has the tools to end this, but it’s refusing to use them,” said Harry Goslin, President of OCEU/CUPE 1750. “The agency won’t improve its offer and won’t even let workers vote on it. This is employer obstruction, plain and simple.”

WSIB is actively blocking a path to resolution, refusing even a government-supervised vote on their own final offer. After a full weekend and Monday of intensive mediation, the employer had the opportunity to allow workers to vote, but instead, WSIB shut that option down.

“If they truly believed in their offer, why won’t they let their own workers vote on it?” Goslin added. “This is a blatant delay tactic that deepens the crisis and leaves injured workers across Ontario in limbo.”

Over 3,600 workers across Ontario have been on strike since May 21, fighting back against chronic understaffing, outsourcing of Ontario jobs to U.S.-based companies, and wages that haven’t kept up with the cost of living. This marks the first strike in WSIB’s 110-year history.

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