MEDIA ADVISORY: CUPE 2073 to Hold Press Conference at Queen’s Park on Monday as Canadian Hearing Services Refuses to Bargain

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--When Canadian Hearing Services (CHS) came to the negotiating table last week amidst an ongoing province wide strike impacting thousands of Deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing Ontarians, they did so not to bargain - but to demand silence and acquiescence.

CHS said they’d only be willing to make an offer to settle the month-long strike if their list of conditions was met; this included an end to a campaign meant to shine a light on how CHS has distanced itself from the Deaf community, and a total media blackout. These conditions would allow CHS to further mistreat workers while undermining the meaningful community support that is growing across the province.

Instead, CUPE representatives, frontline workers, Deaf advocates, and the NDP will be holding a press conference at Queen’s Park on May 26 to share how CHS is gaslighting workers, ignoring Deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing Ontarians, and damaging collective bargaining.

CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn, NDP Shadow Minister of the MCCSS Lisa Gretzky, General Support Services counsellor Marriott Otchere, and Deaf entrepreneur and CHS client Andrea Zackary will be presenting.

SPEAKERS:	Fred Hahn, President, CUPE Ontario
	Lisa Gretzky, NDP Shadow Minister MCCSS
	Marriott Ochere, CUPE 2073 member
	Andrea Zackary, CHS client
Where:	Queen’s Park Media Studio
When:	May 26, 12:15 p.m.

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