London's deaf community left in the dark as Canadian Hearing Services workers enter 10th week of strike

Workers who support London's deaf and hard of hearing communities have been on the picket lines for more than two months now, which they say is impacting those communities as much as it is the employees. 

More than 200 unionized Canadian Hearing Services (CHS) workers in Ontario walked off the job on April 28, in an effort to secure longer contracts and higher pay. 

The strike has not only left people away from work, but has left London's deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing communities without their mental health counselors, audiologists and interpreters.

"Yes, we've been here for 10 weeks, but it's the community that's suffering," London picket captain Amanda Seavers said. "We have a large deaf community in London and the only provider of many of these services is Canadian Hearing Services." 

"We've heard a lot of stories as deaf folks have come out to support, who say they see the strike and support the cause, but they've also been without a sign language interpreter now for 10 weeks," Seavers, who is a CHS program assistant, added.

London Club of the Deaf president Bart Kinney is one of the people who has seen the impacts of the strike first-hand. 

"I rely on interpreters for meetings and doctors appointments, and I also go to CHS when I need help understanding a letter or important document," Kinney said through an interpreter, adding that accurate communication is very difficult otherwise.

"If I have a serious medical emergency and if I have to communicate in writing in medical jargon without having an interpreter there, it's going to impact my understanding of my medical needs," he said.

In a "frequently asked questions" document shared with CBC News, CHS said it has "100% supported priority clients in all our programs and services offered," which includes those in a mental health crisis and people who require emergency interpretation.

"During the labour disruption, our services remain available on a priority basis, and we continue to offer interpreting services, including for personal emergencies, hospital visits and medical appointments, funerals, graduations, and other urgent matters," CHS said.

Still, Kinney said he's heard from other members of London's deaf community that they are feeling "frustrated" as the strike enters its 10th week and accessing day-to-day services continues to be difficult. 

"[Interpreters] should be considered an essential service and have access 24 hours a day in the same way that police and paramedics are designated essential services," Kinney said. 

Negotiations to continue Thursday

CUPE 2073, the union that represents CHS workers, was initially asking for a three-year contract that includes a three per cent wage increase, according to union president Mara Waern.

"We really weren't asking for a lot, just something that helps our members be able to fulfill their duties as family members and be able to attend medical appointments without loss of wage," she said.

London has 10 CHS employees who work out of the office located inside Cherryhill Village Mall, Seavers said, where they serve the close to 400 deaf people in London and even more who are hard of hearing.

More financial security and job stability in the agreement is necessary, especially as the number of CHS staff has dropped significantly in recent years, Seavers and Waern both said.  

"We're noticing that as the agreement gets chipped away at, we're finding it more difficult to fill these positions," Seavers said. "The service is lacking. We're having one person do the job of two or three people."

The union has been negotiating at the table with the employer, and their most recent meeting was held last Friday, but they still have not come to an agreement, Waern said.

They are expected to meet next on Thursday, Waern said, accompanied by a mediator.

"We are hopeful that it's another opportunity for both sides to come to the table with some realistic expectations and hopefully we can reach an agreement," she said. 

The last and only other CHS strike took place in 2017 and was settled after 10 weeks through a third-party mediator. 

"The strike has affected everyone," Waern said. "It's had a devastating effect on all involved."

Kinney said he wants to see a resolution to the strike sooner than later. 

"What I would like to see is the employer of CHS come back to the table and negotiate, and the staff of CHS to come back to work because they need to support the community," he said. "Enough is enough. It's time to get serious."