CUPE: Canadian Hearing Services Comes to the Table but Refuses to Bargain - Making Demands but Offering No Deal as Strike Enters Fourth Week
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TORONTO — In the first day at the negotiating table in more than two weeks between Canadian Hearing Services (CHS) and CUPE 2073, there were zero proposals exchanged, and no bargaining to speak of.
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CHS came without a plan move forward, instead bringing list of demands to members, including an end to the public campaign that's seen dozens of current and former CHS clients share heart-wrenching stories of being let down by the agency. Through a government-appointed mediator, CHS indicated that they would only consider workers' latest proposal – or bring their own offer forward – if workers agreed to one-sided conditions: a media blackout and publication ban, the withdrawal of the Unfair Labour Practice that is now before the Ontario Labour Relations Board, and an end to outreach to Accreditation Canada that is encouraging the accreditation body to review CHS' appalling labour relations history.
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'They didn't come to the table to find a deal, that much is completely clear. It's heartbreaking to workers, who are struggling to make ends meet, and to the Deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing community who are watching this strike drag on without access to the services they need to live their lives with autonomy and dignity,' said Mara Waern, an employment consultant with more than 35 years' experience at CHS and President of CUPE 2073, representing 206 CHS workers. 'We have been so moved by the outpouring of support from current and former clients who have come to our picket lines and spoken with the media, sharing stories of what CHS used to be and can be once more. It's not just workers that CHS management is trampling on right now. It's the very people they are meant to support.'
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Along with the powerful testimonials that Deaf and hard of hearing Ontarians have shared with the media and on social media, hundreds of people have sent letters to the CHS Board of Directors while leading Deaf, disability rights, and labour organizations have signed an open letter to Accreditation Canada.
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CHS' demands for a media blackout come just weeks before their largest annual fundraiser, a golf scholarship tournament. The fundraiser is another sore spot that highlights the change in direction under Dumanian. What used to be a worker-friendly event that was staffed by Deaf workers was transformed in Dumanian's first year, becoming an exclusive event that brings in tens of thousands of dollars – while cutting out any meaningful participation or representation from the Deaf community.
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'Nothing about us without us. That's been the slogan of disability rights for decades. But where is the Deaf representation at CHS or at this tournament?' expressed Jennifer Lynch, a Deaf settlement services counsellor at CHS and member of the CUPE 2073 bargaining team. 'They want to silence workers. They want to ignore Deaf people. We will not let either happen. It's time for the Board of Directors to get involved to set this right. It's time for every MPP, every Deaf ally, every resident of Ontario who cares about access and justice to help CHS correct their course.'
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CUPE 2073 members have been on strike since April 28. The two sides last met on May 6. There are no dates to meet again and CHS has revoked their proposals, so there is no offer for workers to consider. CUPE 2073 remains focused on securing a two-year deal with a five per cent total wage increase to secure stability for workers and the people they support.
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