CUPE National Officers to Join Striking Canadian Hearing Services Workers on Toronto Line
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TORONTO — Workers, allies, and the CUPE National officers will swell the Toronto picket line of CUPE 2073 on Friday. These members work at Canadian Hearing Services as sign language interpreters, employment consultants, counsellors, and in other critical roles that remove barriers for Deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing Ontarians. They have been on strike since April 28.
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CUPE National President Mark Hancock and CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer Candace Rennick will join the strike line to deliver a message – that these 206 workers have the full support of CUPE's 750,000 members across the country.
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Hancock and Rennick have a history with this group, having joined their lines during their 10-week long strike in 2017.
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Quotes:
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'We have a long history as a union protecting workers' rights, ensuring that no members are targeted or punished for exercising their fundamental right to strike or speak out. These workers have our complete support, and we will fight to drag Canadian Hearing Services back to the bargaining table – and then keep fighting alongside them until every single member is back delivering the services that Deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing Ontarians need.'
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– Mark Hancock
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'We've dealt with challenging employers before, with employers that don't want to bargain or treat workers fairly. These workers are going to win because they are fighting not only for themselves but for the people they serve. That's why they have such support across the province, from other labour unions, from community groups, and from their clients. These workers and their services are absolutely critical to a fair and equitable province.'
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