Latest news with #CUPE1750
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
3,600 unionized WSIB workers remain off the job across Ontario, including in Windsor
Thousands of employees with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) are now into their second week of a strike, the first full-scale work stoppage in the WSIB's 110-year history. 3,600 members of the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU/CUPE 1750), including 180 members in Windsor , walked off the job on May 21 after contract talks that began in late February did not amount to a tentative agreement. Speaking on AM800's Mornings with Mike and Meg, Carla Mallett, appeals resolutions officer at WSIB and CUPE member, said one of the main sticking points for the union remains wages. 'We want to be back up into the current rate of inflation and seek the gains that we lost since 2020 and COVID,' Mallett said. 'We're not asking for anything unreasonable, as well we're looking at workloads, we have consistently had workload issues, however it's reached a point where it's unmanageable.' The union levied some serious allegations against the employer on Thursday including staff being harassed for participating in strike action, being targeted by private investigators hired by management to monitor pickett lines, and as Mallett said, staff were locked out of their work systems. 'As you may or may not know, the Windsor office does not have a physical location, we all work remotely, and they locked us out of our system, so it forced us to go onto the streets to strike,' Mallett said. Mallett claims operations at WSIB are compromised with 3,600 workers off the job and said injured or ill workers will feel the impacts. 'They're going to be probably forced through the system in some capacity, but they're not going to be receiving the ongoing care that's necessary to get them back to work, get them the healthcare that's needed, there's case managers, there's nurse consultants who work with these individuals, and we're not there to help them,' said Mallett. A WSIB spokesperson, responding to the union's allegations, argued that the union has 'no idea what they're talking about,' adding 'hundreds' of union members are choosing to go to work. WSIB vice president of communications, Aaron Lazarus, called upon the union to produce proof of their claims. 'I think there are actually some examples where people have made complaints to our business ethics office around feeling that some of their colleagues had harassed them or bullied them for choosing to elect to continue working, and we have zero tolerance approach to harassment and bullying, so I believe there are some investigations that are happening there,' Lazarus said. Lazarus added hundreds of both unionized and non-unionized workers remain on the job, with no current backlogs. 'I think the most important thing for people in Windsor to know is that if you were already a client of the WSIB, your income support and your healthcare is going to continue,' Lazarus said. 'If you get hurt on the job today, you can go online and file a claim, or you can call us, and we're picking up the phone, your claim is going to be registered, you're going to get income supports if you're off work, and you're going to get the healthcare access that you need.' Lazarus said the job action is affecting some of their services, including the postponement of any scheduled hearings and worksite meetings and the appeals process. 'So, if you are appealing a previously made decision, that process is on pause for now and we're going to get that back up and running as soon as we are able to have the full team together again,' Lazarus said. According to Lazarus, negotiations between the two sides continue with the help of a mediator. - Written by Dustin Coffman/AM800 News.
National Post
3 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Strike at WSIB Stretches as Employer Dawdles
Article content TORONTO — As the strike at the WSIB approaches its second week, the WSIB management is dragging its heels on issuing a pass. The OCEU/CUPE 1750 bargaining team issued a complete pass back to the employer on June 1, but have yet to receive a fulsome response. 'It's like they aren't taking the strike seriously,' said Harry Goslin, president of OCEU/CUPE 1750. 'Our members are out on the picket lines because they are overworked and feel disrespected by the employer, and these delay tactics are just a manifestation of that disrespect.' Article content 'The employer made the union wait four days for a pass last week,' added Nicole Francis, OCEU/CUPE 1750's chief steward. 'Their lack of meaningful engagement in this process is deeply frustrating.' Article content Article content The union is hoping to get a meaningful solution to the workload problem that is causing elevated rates of burnout and mental health leaves among OCEU/CUPE 1750 members, as well as a deal that will allow the members to catch up to the spending power they had before Bill 124 froze their wages. Article content 'We have been told the Treasury Board is telling the employer not to offer us a fair wage deal,' said Goslin. 'Seeing as the WSIB isn't taxpayer-funded, we're not sure why the Treasury Board is involved at all.' Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Article content
CTV News
28-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
WSIB and union members remain at odds one week into strike
Members of CUPE 1750 staged a demonstration in Uptown Waterloo as a strike continued on May 28, 2025. (Dan Lauckner/CTV News) People who usually help injured workers are hoping to drum up a little support of their own as they hit the picket lines. Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 1750, also known as the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU), have been on strike since May 22. They walked off the job following months of unfruitful negotiations with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). A demonstration was held in Uptown Waterloo on Wednesday, with union members insisting working conditions were among their chief concerns.'Our caseloads have been anywhere between 85 and 147,' union member Regan Dagostino said. 'Our training has been cut. It used to be six months. [For] anybody coming in, it's been reduced to weeks. We're being asked to deliver service without proper training.' Dagostino said she primarily works with first responders. She said some of the calls she answers are from people experiencing a severe mental health crisis who may be at risk of serious harm. 'It's an important job. We all take it extremely seriously,' Dagostino said. 'It's very difficult to try to deliver the service that we all want to provide under the conditions that we have right now. It's impossible.' Previously, union representatives raised concerns with wages and accused WSIB management of failing to provide a meaningful offer. Accusations of delays Both sides have accused the other of causing unnecessary slowdowns in the negotiation process. Union representatives said they were ready to resume bargaining on Wednesday, but WSIB management never showed up. Meanwhile, a representative for WSIB Ontario said the union had asked them to return to the table but WSIB would only do so when the union put forward a meaningful counter to their previous proposal. 'They did not send through any proposal until the early hours of this morning,' read an email sent to CTV News on Wednesday. 'We are pleased that OCEU has decided to come back to the bargaining table,' the WSIB said. 'The WSIB remains committed to reaching a fair and reasonable agreement that recognizes the needs of people who are injured as our top priority.' The union also said they have been locked out of their systems since last Wednesday. According to the WSIB, union members will not have access to company systems while the strike continues to maintain the integrity of the system. 'We're still ready to come back to the table whenever the employer is ready to give bargaining the serious attention it deserves,' Dave Peddle, OCEU treasurer, said in a news release. 'The best thing we can do to support our members is get a deal.' The union hopes to get everyone back at the bargaining table by Thursday. WSIB previously said injury reports, claims and documents can still be submitted online while the job action continues.
CTV News
26-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Nearly 4,000 WSIB workers engaged in ‘full' strike, union says
About 4,000 employees at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) are now engaged in a full strike after starting with rolling strike action, the union has confirmed to CTV News Toronto. Members of CUPE Local 1750 have been at picket lines across Ontario since last Thursday, after conversations between management and the union stalled. The union has previously accused the WSIB of failing to put forward a meaningful offer. The union has said that wages and workload are among the biggest points of contention. In a news release issued on Monday, the WSIB said that it has been able to continue to provide services despite the strike. The union said on Monday that there have been 'unconfirmed reports' that their employer contracted a telephone service to step in and cover the role of the employees on strike. 'Many of our members have received warning letters from the employer threatening discipline for being involved in legal strike action that is protectedby the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,' chief steward Nicole Francis said in a release. 'Now we are hearing reports that the WSIB may be hiring scabs to do our work. It's shameful.' The WSIB said that it has been able to provide its services due to non-union staff and hundreds of union members who have chosen to continue working instead of joining the picket lines. 'We have answered thousands of calls, processed hundreds of claims, and continue to make income replacement payments to people off work because of an injury,' Jeff Lang, president and CEO of the WSIB said in the release. This strike marks the first in the organization's history as the union says their employer failed to address their workload issues, 'stagnant pay,' and a 'toxic' workplace environment. 'My coworkers and I are taking a stand—right now, this year, this round of bargaining—to defend our own wellness and standard of living, and to fight for a WSIB that prioritizes workers and their needs,' OCEU/CUPE 1750 president Harry Goslin said at a media event held over the weekend. The WSIB serves more than 5.3 million people across thousands of workplaces in the province, the agency says. It provides wage-loss benefits, medical coverage and support returning to work after a work-related injury or illness. The company says it will continue to serve during the strike, adding anyone in need of their services can head to its website at any time.
CBC
22-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Hundreds of unionized workers at WSIB walk off job in Toronto as union calls for better offer
Hundreds of unionized workers at Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board walked off the job in Toronto on Thursday as part of provincial rolling strikes after their union said they were unable to reach an agreement with their employer. Harry Goslin, president of the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU), also known as CUPE Local 1750, which represents workers at the WSIB, said on Thursday that both sides have been negotiating for a new collective agreement since Feb. 25. The union was in a legal strike position as of Wednesday. Gosling said the employer has presented offers that the union cannot accept. He said the union would like to see a meaningful offer on the issues of workload, wages and workplace culture. The workload situation at the WSIB, in particular, is "dire," he added. He said caseload numbers are too high, the board hasn't hired enough workers and training needs to be improved. "Our anxiety levels and our depression are much higher than the national average, and despite this, the WSIB has refused to act. This has to change," Goslin said. Goslin added that the union believes the workplace is "toxic" — something the WSIB has denied. Some withdrawal of services during strikes Goslin said there will be some withdrawal of services during the rolling strikes. During the rolling strikes, the WSIB said people can continue to log in to its website to: report an injury or illness; submit documents for an existing claim; see claim, payment, and health benefit information in real time; register a new business; and access clearances WSIB said its employees not represented by OCEU are working to provide priority services during the rolling strikes. The union said in a news release that the pickets were to be set up on Thursday and Friday in Toronto, Kingston, London, North Bay, Ottawa, Sault Ste Marie, St. Catherines, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Timmins, and Windsor. On Thursday, up to 1,000 workers took part in Toronto, while 3,600 workers took part in all in Ontario. Union members took part in a rally outside a WSIB office at 200 Front Street W. on Thursday, marching up and down the street, carrying flags in the rain. In a speech to union members at the rally, Goslin said: "My coworkers and I are taking a stand right now, this year, this round of bargaining, to defend our wellness and our standard of living and to fight for a WSIB that prioritizes workers and their needs." According to the union, the latest WSIB offer proposes wage increases of two per cent in the first year, followed by 1.5 per cent in the second year and one per cent in the third year. Goslin said the union asked the employer to do better. WSIB turns off building access for striking workers Aaron Lazarus, vice-president of communications for the WSIB, said there is a "comprehensive offer" on the table but he declined to confirm the details. "We have lots of people who are so proud of the work that they do and that shines in our organization every day," he said. "I think that we have a really great place to work, I think that we are compensated well for it and I think we are very much looking forward to having everyone back at work so that we can help Ontarians." Lazarus said case managers working on long-time claims have seen the number of cases they oversee decrease over the past five years. "Workload actually isn't a definition in the collective agreement itself. There is, in the collective agreement, a note that we'll work together with the union in addressing that," Lazarus said. In a news release on Thursday, the WSIB said it has turned off technology and building access for those participating in a strike. The WSIB said the move is a "safety precaution" and was done to eliminate potential service disruptions. Jeff Lang, president and CEO of the WSIB, said in the release: "Our top priority is helping people. Rather than pursue further disruption, the WSIB is focused on bargaining, and ensuring critical services continue to be offered. We will do everything in our power to support people who rely on what we do."
