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WSIB Workers Deliver Petition and Letter to Board of Directors as Strike Enters Second Month

original The Board of Directors have a responsibility to intervene in order to help bring this set of negotiations to a successful conclusion. We urge you to call for a special meeting of the Board to exercise their governance responsibilities to both the employees of the WSIB and the Ontarians we are here to serve.

The Board of Directors have a responsibility to intervene in order to help bring this set of negotiations to a successful conclusion. We urge you to call for a special meeting of the Board to exercise their governance responsibilities to both the employees of the WSIB and the Ontarians we are here to serve.

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Tuesday, June 24, 2025, striking members of the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU/CUPE 1750) will deliver a formal letter and petition to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Directors, demanding urgent action to end the ongoing labour dispute that has left more than 3,600 frontline workers off the job for over a month.

If the employer had confidence in its offer, it should table their best offer and allow workers to vote. Instead, it continues to halt the process, exposing a deliberate strategy of delay using workers of this province as pawns.

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The letter, addressed to WSIB General Counsel David Luther, outlines serious concerns with the employer’s handling of negotiations, including delays, refusal to table a final offer, violations of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA), and unlawful retaliation against workers exercising their right to strike. It calls on the Board to immediately intervene and hold WSIB leadership accountable.

Accompanying the letter is a petition signed by hundreds of striking workers across Ontario, urging the Board to bring negotiations to a fair and timely conclusion. The petition calls on WSIB to deliver immediate workload relief and fair wages, and to respect the collective bargaining process.

“WSIB leadership has failed to bargain in good faith, failed to address dangerous workload levels, and failed to uphold the law,” said Harry Goslin, President of OCEU/CUPE 1750. “That’s why we’re taking this message directly to the Board. They have the power — and the responsibility — to step in and stop the damage being done to injured workers, frontline staff, and Ontario’s economy.”

The letter details:

  • WSIB’s refusal to table a final offer or allow workers to vote on the employer’s proposal;
  • Widespread delays and service disruptions for injured workers and businesses;
  • Unfair labour practices, including surveillance, intimidation, and misinformation;
  • Workload data showing anxiety and depression rates among staff at more than double the national average;
  • A potential breach of WSIA, due to auto-adjudication practices that bypass proper review;
  • Stagnant wages that lag behind both inflation and comparable workplaces.

“This strike is now in its second month because of deliberate choices made by WSIB leadership and enabled by political interference,” said Goslin. “If the Board wants to restore trust and integrity to this organization, they must act now.”

Contacts

For more information, please contact:
Bill Chalupiak
CUPE Communications Representative
wchalupiak@cupe.ca
416-707-1401
mb/cope491

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Contacts

For more information, please contact:
Bill Chalupiak
CUPE Communications Representative
wchalupiak@cupe.ca
416-707-1401
mb/cope491

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