Solidarity with striking CHS workers

Workers at Canadian Hearing Services (CHS)—members of CUPE 2073—are on strike across the province for fair pay and proper staffing. But even more than that, these workers are fighting to save a vital public service.

 

CHS staff provide crucial and irreplaceable support for deaf and hard of hearing people in Ontario. Interpretation services are essential in many situations that others would take for granted such as accessing housing, medical services, government support or for employment.

 

Deaf and hard of hearing Ontarians are already in a much more precarious position in relation to their jobs. The loss or reduction of these services will make that situation even worse.

 

Many of the workers are doing the jobs of 2 or 3 people. They are overwhelmed with the caseloads and there are long wait times for assessments and treatments. Meanwhile management approaches the service with a business model that fails to take into account the vital needs the workers meet.

 

CEO Julia Dumanian has given herself 178% in pay increases over her tenure—and now makes $340,000 a year while workers have fallen well below the rate of inflation and are facing increasing hardship.

 

According to Bijaya Shrestha, a worker in Toronto, the CHS management “has no compassion for the people we support. They are risking the services that the community relies on”. He went on to explain that these services are a crucial part of a unique and distinct culture, language and community. “There is only one organization that provides this service and it is at risk because of mismanagement.”

 

This is a crisis that has been brewing for many years. These same workers struck for 10 weeks in 2017 for many of the same reasons and they are now into week 3 of this current strike.

 

Another worker, Marriott Otchere explained why these workers are on strike. “We are striking because we don’t have a choice in the matter. All we’d like is a fair contract - we want to get back to work—not just for us but for our clientele. We service a vulnerable population. We aren’t asking for the moon—just a fair contract. We were 500 members in 2017 and now we are 200 and that impacts our work and impacts the services we provide.”

 

We need your support. We are trying to be as loud as we can but we need your voices as well - we need allies in support of us so that we can make a bigger impact and, hopefully, put some pressure on to get them back to the table.”

 

This strike is about more than just supporting the workers with a fair deal. It is a fight for equity and access and crucial services that the deaf and hard of hearing community relies on.

 

How can you help?

 

Send a message to the CHS board of directors to demand they get back on track at: https://cupe.on.ca/CHS/

 

Lobby your MPPand let them know that these services are in crisis and need to be protected.

 

Join the picket lines! Picket locations are set up across the province.  Find a picket near you at: https://cupe.on.ca/chsstrike/