-

Striking Back for Striking Workers: Hundreds of CUPE Ontario Members to Rally Thursday for Fellow Workers

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CUPE Ontario members and allies from across the province will march to the Ministry of Labour tomorrow to offer their support and solidarity to fellow members from three separate CUPE locals that are currently on strike.

Marit Stiles, leader of the Ontario New Democrats, and Laura Walton, president of the Ontario Federation of Labour, will also attend the rally to demand a fair deal for the workers.

The striking workers are all employees of vastly different employers, but all find themselves facing similar battles with hostile, short-sighted, and ill-intentioned employers who have forced workers into strike action by refusing to bargain meaningfully with their union.

CUPE 2073: More than 200 members at Canadian Hearing Services (CHS) have been on strike since April 28, fighting back against low wages that impact the quality and depth of services that Deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing Ontarians receive. Meanwhile, the salary of CHS president and CEO Julia Dumanian topped $340,000 last year.

CUPE 1750: In the first-ever strike in their local’s history, some 3600 workers at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) are demanding their employer take steps to reduce the dangerously high workloads that are driving up rates of depression and anxiety among them. WSIB has given rebates of $4 billion to employers this year but won’t invest any of the remaining billions of dollars of surplus to improve working conditions for staff.

CUPE 5525: A local of 25 personal care assistants at Villa Colombo Homes for the Aged are the most recent to take strike action. This small but dedicated group of twenty-five workers has been fighting for a first collective agreement since 2022. Rather than bargain a fair deal, Villa Colombo has put continuity of care for elderly residents at risk by paying scab labour more than it pays its existing staff.

WHAT:

 

Rally and media availability with CUPE Ontario leaders, members and supporters

 

WHO:

 

Fred Hahn, President, CUPE Ontario

 

 

Harry Goslin, President of OCEU/CUPE 1750

 

 

Mara Waern, President, CUPE 2073

 

 

Laura Walton, President, Ontario Federation of Labour

 

 

Marit Stiles, Leader, Ontario New Democratic Party

 

WHEN:

 

Thursday, May 29 at 12.30 pm

 

WHERE:

 

Ministry of Labour, 400 University Avenue, Toronto

 

Contacts

For more information, please contact CUPE Communications representatives
Mary Unan 647-390-9839 munan@cupe.ca
Bill Chalupiak 416-707-1401 wchalupiak@cupe.ca

Industry:

Canadian Union of Public Employees

Release Versions
English

Contacts

For more information, please contact CUPE Communications representatives
Mary Unan 647-390-9839 munan@cupe.ca
Bill Chalupiak 416-707-1401 wchalupiak@cupe.ca

More News From Canadian Union of Public Employees

Chéticamp Long Term Care Workers Vote to Strike

CHÉTICAMP, NS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Workers from Foyer Père Fiset Long Term Care Home, represented by CUPE 2031, voted 93% in favour of a strike mandate, calling for improved wages and recruitment and retention. “Lowest in Atlantic Canada. Those words alone should be enough to motivate the government to meet us at the bargaining table with a fair offer. Our government should want us, should want Nova Scotians, to be leading the way not lagging behind,” said CUPE 2031 President Trevor Poirier. “The...

“We haven’t seen this level of slashing since the Harris years:” new report warns of longer wait-times and declining quality of care as funding cuts squeeze Ontario hospitals

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new report warns that the turn to health care cutbacks in Ontario harken to the period of Mike Harris, as hundreds of job cuts ravage hospitals across the province, prolonging wait-times and delaying patient care. The government recently directed hospitals to plan for two per cent annual funding increases until 2027-28, far less than the six per cent average in recent years. The Ford government’s funding plan will lead to more than 10,000 job losses and reduction of...

CUPE Ontario urges government to change course ahead of 2026 budget

NIAGARA FALLS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn called on the Ford government to reverse course on its budget priorities Thursday, warning that years of underfunding public services have deepened inequality and harmed workers and communities across the province. Hahn spoke at a press conference and later before the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs as part of the 2026 pre-budget consultations. With more than 300,000 members, CUPE Ontario is the largest union in...
Back to Newsroom