Nearly 4,000 Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) employees across Ontario have voted to accept a new collective agreement. The vote ends a prolonged labor disruption after more than six weeks of picketing.
Union members officially returned to work on Monday after the first strike in the WSIB's 110-year history. Specific terms of the newly ratified deal have not yet been released.
The vote followed tense negotiations between WSIB and the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU/CUPE 1750), which represents the workers.
Union president Harry Goslin (pictured below with loudspeaker) lauded the solidarity shown by members, emphasizing their vital role in supporting Ontario’s injured and ill workers.
Goslin joined them on the picket line at the Etobicoke constituency office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford last week, amid new allegations that the WSIB has begun “outsourcing core work” performed by frontline union members.
Harry Goslin, OCEU President (image taken from OCEU Instagram)
“We are a critical safety net for Ontario workers, and Ontarians spoke up, sending thousands of messages to the WSIB leadership,” Goslin said in a statement.
“Together, we secured the best possible outcome and pushed back against attempts to weaken union seniority rights.”
A survey among WSIB employees in June found a continued decline in mental health outcomes, raising questions about the operational strain within Ontario’s public workplace compensation and insurance system.
Thunder Bay–Superior North Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Lise Vaugeois, who serves as the New Democratic Party (NDP) shadow minister responsible for WSIB and injured workers, praised the union’s determination.
“I’m really glad they stuck it out until they got an acceptable agreement. Workers should be prioritized—something we’ve not seen from this management,” she told Thunder Bay’s Newswatch.
Vaugeois also criticized the Ford government’s earlier decision to return $2 billion in WSIB rebates to companies as part of an $11 billion corporate relief package, calling it “a completely inappropriate use” of funds meant to support workers.
WSIB President and CEO Jeff Lang welcomed the resolution and the rapid return of the workforce.
“Our number one priority has always been helping the people who depend on us,” Lang said in a release. “I’m proud of our team and excited to have everyone back to continue supporting Ontarians.”
CUPE (the Canadian Union of Public Employees) members in Northern Ontario, roughly 71 in total, support not only local clients but also manage claims from larger cities like Toronto and London under a province-wide work-from-home arrangement.
Workers had been calling for fair wages, safer conditions, and stronger job protections.
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