Services for Deaf Ontarians to be Restored as Tentative Settlement Reached Between CUPE 2073 and Canadian Hearing Services

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A tentative agreement has been reached between CUPE 2073 and Canadian Hearing Services (CHS), pointing to a possible end to the ten-week-long strike that began on April 28 and has drawn considerable attention from the Deaf community, labour allies, and politicians.

No details of the tentative deal will be released until the membership has had the opportunity to review and vote on the deal. The vote will take place on Monday, July 7.

The earliest possible date workers could be back on the job is Monday, July 14.

“Our members are incredibly eager to get back to jobs they love,” said Mara Waern, president of CUPE 2073 and an employment consultant with more than three decades of experience at CHS. “The Deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing communities all supported us throughout this strike, walking our lines, sharing their stories, and now it’s our turn to support them by providing the kind of services they deserve. To the people and organizations that showed solidarity and fought alongside us: every one of our members thanks you.”

CUPE 2073 represents workers in 18 communities across the province. They remove barriers for the Deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing, providing supports as general services counsellors, literacy instructors, audiologists, employment consultants, sign language interpreters, and in other critical roles. 90 per cent of workers are women, and many of them are Deaf.