WSIB says union leaders need to 'take yes for an answer'
With more than 3,600 Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) employees now on strike for more than four weeks, pressure is mounting on all sides to resolve the agency’s first work stoppage in its 110-year history. But while both WSIB and the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU/CUPE 1750) continue to engage in mediated talks, the rhetoric surrounding the negotiations is escalating.
Progress or stalemate?
WSIB vice president of communications Aaron Lazarus says the board remains ready to finalize a deal that includes above-inflation wage increases and expanded resources for workload management. “Our objective would be to get the full team back together as quickly as possible,” Lazarus says. “If the union leadership was able to take ‘yes’ for an answer, they would be able to take a tentative agreement to their members for a vote.”
But Harry Goslin, president of OCEU/CUPE 1750, strongly rejects that framing. “That’s insulting to all of their employees,” he says. “I have one vote. This is about the leadership and solidarity of 3,600 people… and right now the workforce is extremely angry and frustrated.”
According to Goslin, recent bargaining movement has reversed rather than progressed. “WSIB went backwards on their proposals,” he says, claiming some earlier offers were withdrawn during the last exchange. He accuses the agency of “surface bargaining” and calls for it to table a “best and final offer,” something he says WSIB continues to avoid.
Lazarus does not confirm whether the latest proposal, submitted the previous Sunday, constitutes such an offer. “There are legal impacts to that language,” he says, adding that such determinations happen at the table and not in public exchanges.
Government influence and delayed resolutions
Goslin is now appealing to provincial leadership for intervention, alleging the Treasury Board has constrained WSIB’s bargaining authority. In a letter sent this week to Labour Minister David Piccini and Treasury Board President Caroline Mulroney, the union requests an urgent meeting, saying the government is directly shaping the bargaining mandate yet “not showing up at the bargaining table.”
So far, the province has reiterated that “the best deals are reached at the table,” a response Goslin describes as disingenuous.
Backlogs, automation, and efficiency claims
Meanwhile, debate continues over the operational state of WSIB during the strike. The union says backlogs are growing, appeals are paused, and an auto-adjudication system—expanded to maintain service levels—is insufficient for complex cases. “Workers are not getting immediate access to health care or the full level of entitlement they should have,” Goslin says, adding that delays are affecting both injured workers and employer registrations.
Lazarus maintains that critical services remain intact. “We’ve registered over 18,000 new claims, answered more than 100,000 calls, issued nearly 100,000 payments, and registered over 1,600 businesses since the strike began,” he says. While acknowledging that appeals remain on hold, he insists that those off work continue to receive health care access and income replacement.
Interestingly, Lazarus also notes the WSIB is discovering potential long-term efficiencies amid the disruption. “It has certainly turned people’s minds to how we can do things better, easier, or faster,” he says. “We’re testing new processes and technologies, and I think at the end of the day, it is going to have a positive impact in terms of customer experience.”
What’s holding up the deal?
On compensation, the union says the latest WSIB offer averages 2.2 percent annually, still below the roughly 3 percent seen in comparable public sector deals. “We're pretty far apart,” Goslin says. “They keep saying wages are being dictated by Treasury Board. If that’s true, be transparent and put that on the table.”
WSIB maintains its wage offer would see 75 percent of union members earning more than $100,000 by 2027, and points to additional investments in workload reduction through a joint committee with expanded resources.
While both sides say they want a resolution, their sharply different interpretations of bargaining progress—and public messaging—suggest more friction lies ahead.
