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Strike or lockout?

The union said its action was meant to be rolling strike, with a plan to return to work Monday to reduce the labour action’s impact on injured workers in Ontario; however, the union said its workers remain locked out.

Aaron Lazarus, WSIB VP of communications, said the union members went on strike without notice.

“Usually, you give notice; they just walked out. That was considered the beginning of a strike and as far as we’re concerned, that strike is continuing until there is an agreement reached between the two,” he said.

He added that the union executive misled members into thinking they could pick and choose the days they strike.

“We have important work to do to help people recover from workplace injuries, so we put in place a strong contingency plan so that we can keep helping people throughout the strike.”

Who stopped bargaining?

Lazarus said the WSIB is hopeful the union executive returns to the bargaining table to respond to the employer’s latest offer.

The union, however, said it did not walk away from the bargaining table as claimed by the WSIB. After receiving the WSIB’s final offer a day before the strike deadline, the union told the employer it was not acceptable and invited them to do better. The union said the employer has yet to present a better offer.

Scabs at the WSIB?

The union said it had heard unconfirmed reports the WSIB contracted an unknown telephone service to fill striking workers’ roles.

The WSIB said no such contracting of work is happening.

“The truth is we have people who continue to answer the phone and continue to provide service, including hundreds of union members who have chosen to continue working, and that’s why we’re able to continue with the services that we have right now,” Lazarus said.

Contracts with other firms

The union claims the WSIB entered a contract with Iron Mountain, a U.S. firm, to outsource some work, and that 26 people will be laid off as a result.

Lazarus said the WSIB has been partnering with Iron Mountain for more than 25 years to deliver some services, and no layoff notices have been issued to anyone.

He added the company is a vendor of record with the Ontario government and also works with the governments of British Columbia and Canada.

The union also pointed out the WSIB has entered into a $14.5-million contract with BetterUp, a U.S.-based coaching provider to help employees deal with stress.

The union said the workers shouldn’t be under so much work-related stress and that this money would be better spent supporting Canadian jobs.

The WSIB said it’s not a choice between more workers or improved benefits — you can have both.

Lazarus said BetterUp offers more than career coaching, it offers life coaching as well. As an example of its services, he said a person having trouble sleeping or eating at home now has access to a sleep coach or nutrition coach.

This is an added benefit to WSIB employees who didn’t have to give anything up for it, he said.

Additionally, he said the WSIB has 100 net more case managers than it did two years ago, which has lowered caseloads.

What injured workers need to know

Despite the labour disruption and potential Canada Post strike, WSIB said it will continue processing claims, but .

People can continue using the WSIB website, available 24-7, to report an injury or illness, submit documents for an existing claim; view claim, payment and health benefit information; register a new business and access clearances.

Telephone service is available Monday to Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., but wait times are expected to be higher than usual and response times for non-urgent inquiries and services are expected to be impacted.

The WSIB said employees not represented by the union are working to provide priority services during the strike, and that it is working with partners and health-care providers to minimize disruptions.

The WSIB website is available at .