As strike at Canadian Hearing Services continues, Deaf Sault Ste. Marie residents have trouble accessing Sign language interpreting services

SAULT STE. MARIE, ON –(COMMUNITYWIRE)– With the strike at Canadian Hearing Services (CHS) now in it’s third week, Deaf, Deafblind, and hard of hearing Sault Ste. Marie residents are seeing critical services impacted and denied.

The 206 members of CUPE 2073 who work at CHS as Sign language interpreters, employment consultants, Deafblind intervenors, and in other frontline roles have been on strike since April 28. The two sides last met on May 6; CHS refused to make an offer or respond to the members’ latest proposal, and refused to make use of a third-party mediator. There are 15 picket lines across the province with 5 workers on strike in Sault Ste. Marie.

Audiology clinics are closed, literacy and newcomer services are not proceeding, and clients’ needs are not being met. Deaf, Deafblind, and hard of hearing people are already often marginalized, and this has made inclusion and participation an even greater challenge.

“CHS claims to have no money to increase workers’ wages, but they can find money to increase senior managements’ salaries. This fits their pattern of doing everything they can to break the union and disempower workers,” said Mara Waern, an employment consultant with three decades’ experience and president of CUPE 2073. “There is no way the need for interpreting services across the province can be met solely with freelance interpreters. That means surgeries, cardiology, oncology, prenatal and doctors appointments are not accessible to Deaf people. Deaf people often need interpreting services for bank appointments, dentists, lawyers, funerals and more. Instead of coming to the table to negotiate a decent contract, CHS is putting up more barriers.”

Since Julia Dumanian took over leadership at CHS, labour relations have taken an immediate, negative turn. This is the second strike during her tenure, with the 2017 strike lasting 10 weeks. This latest job action began after CHS called for a “No Board” report before meaningfully bargaining, followed by cancelling workers’ vacations and denying sick time.

While workers’ wages have fallen 16% behind inflation under Dumanian’s tenure, CHS is only offering CUPE 2073 members a one year deal with a 2% increase; this would do nothing to help workers catch up, or provide any security in a tumultuous economic climate. Workers, meanwhile, are asking for a two-year deal to ensure more stability, with a total increase of 5% over the contract.

“We do these jobs because we want to make our city and our province more accessible,” said Kerri Tuckett, a Deafblind Intervenor at CHS. “To be forced to strike to protect our basic rights and get a modest increase is insulting and harmful to the people we support. We want CHS to come back to the table, we want them to show us the decency and respect we deserve, and we want to go back to doing our jobs to remove barriers for Deaf, Deafblind and hard of hearing Ontarians.”

CUPE 2073 members in Sault Ste. Marie are picketing from 10 am to 2 pm at 153 Great Northern Road.

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Quick Facts

• There were roughly 500 workers at CHS in 2010; today they are down to just over 200.
• While workers have seen their wages fall 16% behind the rate of inflation under CEO Julia Dumanian, she now earns 122% more than the previous CEO.
• CHS’ latest offer – which is no longer on the table – was for a 1 year deal with a 2% wage increase
• CUPE 2073 members want the stability of a 2 year deal with 5% wage increase over the contract.

For more information, please contact:

Jesse Mintz, CUPE Communications Representative
416-704-9642
jmintz@cupe.ca