Hundreds of striking WSIB workers rally in downtown Toronto after talks break down

Hundreds of striking workers astatine Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board rallied successful downtown Toronto connected Monday, calling connected their leader to find a "fair compromise" connected outstanding issues.

About 3,600 members of the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU), besides known arsenic CUPE Local 1750, which represents workers astatine the WSIB, have been connected strike for amended wages and moving conditions since May 22. The national and leader met connected Saturday and Sunday in mediated bargaining talks, but talks broke down connected Sunday evening.

Thomas Chang, OCEU's vice-president for Toronto, said the WSIB rejected the latest offer.

"OCEU remains disposable to negotiate, but needs to spot a meaningful determination by the employer to conscionable our subordinate halfway needs," Chang told the rally.

Chang said the mediator has decided to clasp disconnected connected mediation until some sides travel person together. Picket lines volition proceed until a woody is reached, helium said. The union's bargaining squad volition supply an update to members this week astatine a municipality hall.

In an interrogation later, Chang said: "We've made important moves to find communal crushed connected wages, workload and seniority, and they person not travel backmost to the table."

The WSIB said successful a quality merchandise connected Monday that its latest presumption includes above-inflation wage increases, improved benefits and a committedness to proceed to amended workload. It called connected the national to instrumentality to negotiations with "fair and realistic expectations" to scope a deal.

"When radical are wounded astatine work, we assistance them retrieve and instrumentality to what matters, and we're getting the champion results successful a decade," Jeff Lang, president and CEO of the WSIB, said successful the release.

"I anticipation our squad sees our presumption arsenic a genuine effort to enactment this onslaught down america and get backmost to what we bash best: helping people."

LISTEN | CBC'S Ontario Today hears astir interaction of strike: 

Meanwhile, the WSIB said appeals of its decisions proceed to be on clasp portion the onslaught continues.

Christine Arnott, spokesperson for the WSIB, said successful an email connected Monday that caller claims are inactive being processed. 

"Anyone with an existing assertion is continuing to person immoderate income enactment and wellness attraction they need. Any caller claims are being registered the aforesaid time and volition person the wellness attraction they request and income enactment if they are disconnected work," Arnott said.

"Unfortunately, appeals of erstwhile claims are connected clasp until the onslaught is resolved."

Injured idiosyncratic says hold has go longer for appeal

At slightest 1 injured idiosyncratic says helium feels arsenic though helium is successful limbo.

Freddy Ilabaca, a erstwhile operation idiosyncratic from Ajax, said helium is waiting to larn the result of an entreaty filed with the WSIB. His backmost was injured successful March 2023 and the WSIB stopped payments successful August 2023. He is presently connected semipermanent disability.

IIabaca is warring with the assistance of his national to person the substance resolved.

Now with the onslaught continuing, his lawyer has told him helium needs to hold longer than expected. He said helium has children, owns a location and present determination is lone 1 income successful his family.

"Everything is connected clasp close now," Ilbaca said.

"To me, it's conscionable similar present it's much delayed than it was before. It was hard capable successful the opening conscionable to get an appeal. Now that we person an appeal, present that's stopped. It's frustrating," helium added.

"They clasp your beingness successful their hands, to beryllium honest. It's nerve-racking because you're like: 'OK, is it going to beryllium yes oregon no?' You don't cognize and you're conscionable sitting determination and conscionable waiting."