For just over a month, the members of OCEU/CUPE 1750 have been locked out by the Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB). A strike vote of 96% in favour of strike action, should negotiations fail, put the union in place to bargain from a position of strength.
“Knowing that almost the entire bargaining unit is behind the negotiating committee puts the negotiating committee in the best possible situation,” says Kevin Smith, President of the Grey Bruce Labour Council. “With that support the choice was made to ensure that clients would still receive a level of surface by carrying out rotating strikes.”
Smith adds that, “With absolute disregard for the clients and the union members, the employer acted to immediately lockout the workers. As with federal workers, hopefully every worker in Canada will soon benefit from anti-scab legislation. This is not the case in Ontario for provincial workers such as those at the WSIB. The employer has taken full advantage of the ability to use scab labour by encouraging union members to betray their co-workers and fellow union members to cross picket lines and carry out bargaining unit work.”
“The news often calls scabs temporary replacement workers. Whatever they are called, there is nothing more reprehensible than scabs or employers that make use of, or encourage, scab labour,” said Dave Trumble, Labour Council V-P for Bruce County.
Rather than seek a resolution at the bargaining table, the employer, in an act that is an unfair labour practice, is giving letters of discipline to union members exercising their Charter rights to join a union and collectively bargain. The actions of the employer indicate no interest in a solution that is bargained, it is more aligned with union busting and privatization of the WSIB.
There is some rhetoric from the employer that meeting and coming to a reasonable agreement with the union will break the pattern bargaining that the government of Ontario wants with all of the public sector unions that the government oversees.
“Not only is this an act of outright cowardice, it shows the profound ignorance of the differences that workers and union members have in their work across the spectrum of work in government,” says Labour Council V-P for Grey, Chris Stephen.
None of the actions by the employer provide any aid to WSIB clients. In fact, despite employer claims, clients are not receiving the necessary services of the WSIB as the clients try to heal from workplace injury or illness. Organized Labour is no stranger to privatization of government services. The employer is steadfastly moving this way as they work towards privatizing components of bargaining unit work.
One such action is contracting out the work of 26 WSIB workers to an American firm. One initiative will lead to more and more with client services being the ultimate prize for the employer. Where is Captain Canada, Doug Ford, now?
A recent undertaking by the union to have the workers respond to the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire provided a horrific picture of work at the WSIB. A couple of notable results are the staff turnover rate of 35% and the findings of the questionnaire that pointed to stress being so high that the risk of suicide was significant. Yet, with results like this, the employer cannot even take the time to come to a reasonable agreement with the union.
Thankfully, the Labour Movement is behind this union local and the membership and, in that context, actions must be taken to support these workers. Walking on picket lines in support of WSIB workers, putting pressure of elected officials and adding their voice to the outcry against the repugnant actions of the WSIB management are good places to start. Let’s show that the long standing Labour sentiment of “an injury to one is an injury to all” really means something.
The Grey Bruce Labour Council has been the voice of workers in Grey and Bruce Counties since 1956.
