CUPE: Second Strike Under Julia Dumanian’s Leadership Points to a Crisis at Canadian Hearing Services

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As of 9:00 am today, more than 200 workers at Canadian Hearing Services (CHS) will be on strike as picket lines go up in more than 15 cities across Ontario.

This is the second strike at CHS under the leadership of Julia Dumanian; it comes after the agency only committed to two days of bargaining, called for a No Board before negotiations meaningfully began, and refused to extend the terms of the now expired collective agreement.

“CHS forced this strike on workers. No unionized worker can accept working without the protection of a contract,” said Mara Waern, an employment consultant with over three decades of experience at CHS, and the president of CUPE 2073. “But more than that, CHS forced this strike on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ontarians we support.”

This small group of workers has an outsized impact, delivering critical programs for thousands of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ontarians. CUPE 2073 members work as counselors, audiologists, deaf/blind intervenors, interpreters, and in other important roles.

Even one day that CHS programs are shuttered will make life more difficult and less accessible for the people these workers have dedicated their lives to.

CUPE 2073 wrote to CHS in the days before the strike deadline, asking them to extend the terms of their expired collective agreement. When the clock runs out on a No Board window and job action becomes legal, the provisions of the contract are void – an employer can impose whatever changes they want. Extending the terms of a contract is a good faith measure that employers offer as they continue to bargain for a fair deal.

Instead, CHS ignored the local’s request and sent a memo revoking previously approved vacation and changing the rules on sick days. Workers felt these moves presaged further attempts by CHS to strip them of their rights, and target members who have been outspoken:

“CHS never wanted to bargain. Why else would they call for a No Board before we had a chance to negotiate? They wanted to impose their will on workers and we just couldn’t risk that,” said Waern. “They put us in this position. For years, they’ve eroded the services we offer and chipped away at our membership. But we know what we’re worth, and we know how much our services mean to the people we support.”

Members will be picketing at 10 CHS locations across the province and at the offices of Progressive Conservative MPPs, as the Ford government has refused repeated calls to intervene and ensure the proper functioning of this agency. The CUPE 2073 bargaining team remains hopeful that a fair deal can be reached at their May 6 conciliation date.

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