Latest news with #MaraWaern
National Post
22-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
CUPE: Canadian Hearing Services Comes to the Table but Refuses to Bargain - Making Demands but Offering No Deal as Strike Enters Fourth Week
Article content 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. Article content Article content 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. Article content '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.' Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content '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.' Article content 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. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
Business Wire
22-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
CUPE: Canadian Hearing Services Comes to the Table but Refuses to Bargain - Making Demands but Offering No Deal as Strike Enters Fourth Week
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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. 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. '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.' 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. 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. '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.' 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. :od/COPE491
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CUPE: Canadian Hearing Services Comes to the Table but Refuses to Bargain - Making Demands but Offering No Deal as Strike Enters Fourth Week
TORONTO, May 22, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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. 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. "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." 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. 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. "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." 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. :od/COPE491 View source version on Contacts For more information, please contact: Jesse Mintz, CUPE Communications Representative416-704-9642 | jmintz@ Sign in to access your portfolio
National Post
20-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
CUPE files unfair labour practice, cites "surface bargaining" as cause of strike at Canadian Hearing Services
Article content TORONTO — In the normal course of bargaining, employers and unions exchange proposals and negotiate earnestly over weeks or months to find a middle ground. That is not what happened in the brief negotiations between Canadian Hearing Services (CHS) and CUPE 2073 – which broke down on April 28, resulting in what is now a four-week long strike. Article content Article content In a submission to the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) last week, lawyers for CUPE 2073 – the union representing 206 workers at CHS – contend that the agency violated six sections of the Labour Relations Act, 1995; this includes, among other things, bargaining by ultimatum, interfering with the union's ability to represent its members, and going through the legally mandated motions without any genuine intention of reaching a fair collective agreement. Article content 'They were only willing to bargain for two hours before filing for conciliation. Then they called for a No Board after four more hours and changed the terms of our contract the first day they could. That's not real bargaining, that's playing the system to push workers into a strike,' said Mara Waern, President of CUPE 2073 and an employment consultant with more than 30 years' experience at CHS. Article content The submission further argues that CHS' actions are not isolated incidents but form a calculated course of conduct aimed at breaking the union and allowing the agency to operate more like a business, and less like a community agency. CHS left workers on strike for more than 10 weeks in 2017 and they are showing the same lack of urgency to resolve the current labour disruption, having refused CUPE 2073's request to bring in a third-party mediator to help move things forward. Article content 'Every worker wants to return to our jobs under a fair and equitable collective agreement that meets our needs and invests in services for Deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing Ontarians,' said Waern. 'An unfair labour practice is a legal tool, but this is not an abstract legal concern. Each day that we are left on strike, people who rely on us to fully participate in society are being abandoned. That means missed surgeries, bank appointments, and funerals. There are real world consequences to CHS' uncaring behaviour.' Article content As it stands, there is no offer on the table for workers to consider, and CHS has made no movement to bring new proposals forward. Article content 'This is part of a troubling trend, and it started at the top with Doug Ford steamrolling education workers with Bill 28. It's kept on going with the bosses at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board just this month pulling the rug out from under workers, by terminating their collective agreement only days after they received their bargaining mandate from the province,' said Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario. 'More and more employers are trying to undermine fair collective bargaining. But workers are pushing back, asserting our rights to have a say in our future while demanding the investments our communities deserve.' Article content CUPE's submission to the OLRB asks for an order indicating that CHS has not bargained in good faith – directing CHS to meet with CUPE 2073's bargaining committee for five full days of bargaining to resolve the strike, and compensate members for losses, damages, and expenses incurred as a result of CHS' unlawful conduct that prolonged the strike. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CUPE files unfair labour practice, cites "surface bargaining" as cause of strike at Canadian Hearing Services
TORONTO, May 20, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the normal course of bargaining, employers and unions exchange proposals and negotiate earnestly over weeks or months to find a middle ground. That is not what happened in the brief negotiations between Canadian Hearing Services (CHS) and CUPE 2073 - which broke down on April 28, resulting in what is now a four-week long strike. In a submission to the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) last week, lawyers for CUPE 2073 – the union representing 206 workers at CHS – contend that the agency violated six sections of the Labour Relations Act, 1995; this includes, among other things, bargaining by ultimatum, interfering with the union's ability to represent its members, and going through the legally mandated motions without any genuine intention of reaching a fair collective agreement. "They were only willing to bargain for two hours before filing for conciliation. Then they called for a No Board after four more hours and changed the terms of our contract the first day they could. That's not real bargaining, that's playing the system to push workers into a strike," said Mara Waern, President of CUPE 2073 and an employment consultant with more than 30 years' experience at CHS. The submission further argues that CHS' actions are not isolated incidents but form a calculated course of conduct aimed at breaking the union and allowing the agency to operate more like a business, and less like a community agency. CHS left workers on strike for more than 10 weeks in 2017 and they are showing the same lack of urgency to resolve the current labour disruption, having refused CUPE 2073's request to bring in a third-party mediator to help move things forward. "Every worker wants to return to our jobs under a fair and equitable collective agreement that meets our needs and invests in services for Deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing Ontarians," said Waern. "An unfair labour practice is a legal tool, but this is not an abstract legal concern. Each day that we are left on strike, people who rely on us to fully participate in society are being abandoned. That means missed surgeries, bank appointments, and funerals. There are real world consequences to CHS' uncaring behaviour." As it stands, there is no offer on the table for workers to consider, and CHS has made no movement to bring new proposals forward. "This is part of a troubling trend, and it started at the top with Doug Ford steamrolling education workers with Bill 28. It's kept on going with the bosses at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board just this month pulling the rug out from under workers, by terminating their collective agreement only days after they received their bargaining mandate from the province," said Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario. "More and more employers are trying to undermine fair collective bargaining. But workers are pushing back, asserting our rights to have a say in our future while demanding the investments our communities deserve." CUPE's submission to the OLRB asks for an order indicating that CHS has not bargained in good faith - directing CHS to meet with CUPE 2073's bargaining committee for five full days of bargaining to resolve the strike, and compensate members for losses, damages, and expenses incurred as a result of CHS' unlawful conduct that prolonged the strike. :od/COPE491 View source version on Contacts For more information, please contact: Jesse Mintz, CUPE Communications Representative416-704-9642 | jmintz@
