THUNDER BAY – After more than six weeks on the picket line, WSIB workers have voted to accept the tentative collective agreement negotiated by their bargaining committee.
“I am proud of my coworkers and the strength of our union. We are a critical safety net for Ontario workers, and Ontarians spoke up, sending thousands of messages to the WSIB leadership,” said Harry Goslin, president of the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU/CUPE 1750), in a press release.
“Together, we were able to secure the best possible outcome and successfully pushed back against the employer’s attacks on union seniority rights.”
Union members returned to work on Monday.
As NDP shadow minister for seniors and accessibility, with responsibility for WSIB and Injured Workers, Thunder Bay–Superior North MPP Lise Vaugeois told Newswatch that she is “really glad they stuck it out until they got an acceptable agreement.”
“We've seen from this management that the people who work for them and the workers that they serve are not the priority, and they need to be the priority,” she said.
Vaugeois noted that injured workers are also not happy with WSIB.
Back in April, the Ford government gave companies $2 billion in rebates through WSIB as part of an $11 billion corporate relief package aimed at helping companies impacted by U.S. tariffs.
“What we've seen is the management and the government giving away money premiums back to employers and not looking after their own workers, and not looking after injured workers. In my view, it's a completely inappropriate use of that money,” Vaugeois said.
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) representatives said they are pleased to have their full team within 24 hours of a successful ratification vote.
"Our number one priority has always been and continues to be helping the people who depend on us," Jeff Lang, President and CEO of the WSIB, said in a press release.
"We do work that makes a difference in people's lives and in our communities. I am proud of our team's work over the last few weeks and am very excited for everyone to come back together so we can keep supporting Ontarians who need us."
The nearly 4,000 workers had been off the job since late May, following months of failed contract negotiations with the WSIB, which provides workplace injury and illness insurance to more than 5.3 million people across 300,000 Ontario businesses.
In Northern Ontario, CUPE represents about 71 bargaining unit members. This region includes the northwestern catchment area, stretching from Wawa to the Manitoba border.
Under a new work-from-home model, workers in Northern Ontario are not only supporting local clients but are also managing WSIB claims from across the province including Toronto and London. Workers here listed understaffing and overwhelming caseloads among their top complaints.
The union also said they wanted fair wages, safer workplaces and an end to the outsourcing of Ontario jobs to U.S.-based firms.
Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
