Talks stalled as hearing services workers' strike stretches into 5th week

Some Canadian Hearing Services (CHS) workers across Ontario who are entering the fifth week of a strike came to Queen's Park Monday to bring more attention to their contract demands amid stalled talks.

They were joined by members of the deaf and hard of hearing communities, and Windsor West NDP MP Lisa Gretzky.

Roughly 200 staff at the agency — a registered charity — support people who are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing. Those employees include counsellors, audiologists and interpreters.

They are seeking a two-year deal with a five per cent total wage increase.

Marriot Otchere, a general support service worker with CHS, said with the aid of an interpreter that she chose to workfor CHS for 13 years because of the care they pour into their clients, but now things are changing.

"We give them everything, but we don't get enough in return," she said. "Their actions don't match what they say, and they don't show us the respect we deserve. It's not fair, it's not right and it cannot continue.

"We are burnt out, overwhelmed and stressed."

Otchere said she and other CHS workers worry about affording groceries and paying rent.

"We can't continue this way. We have no wage increases or very minimal ones, while their salaries have skyrocketed… It's exhausting to continue this way. We can't continue to do it this way."

Otchere said a fair deal would mean no burnout, reduced stress and appropriate supports in place.

"I'd rather be back at my job and focusing on the clients that need me."

Gretzky took aim at the compensation received by CHS CEO Julia Dumanian, who earned over $340,000 in 2024, according to the Sunshine List.

She added that an audit of CHS has been requested three times, but the government "diverts, distracts and ignores" those requests.

"Why the secrecy? Why the lack of accountability? Why are front-line workers expected to settle for scraps, and in some cases access food banks, while management salaries continue to soar?"

CHS did not make anyone available for an interview Monday. However, in a news release, it said CUPE Local 2073 walked away from bargaining with the approved mediator on May 21, and refused to set additional bargaining dates. 

Union, employer at odds over who walked away

"Canadian Hearing Services did not walk away from bargaining and remains fully available to present our offer to union members when CUPE 2073 agrees to do so. Until then, CUPE is depriving their members of seeing our offer," the release said.

Mara Waern, president of CUPE 2073, said the union didn't walk away.

"We didn't walk away from the table; they walked away. It's frustrating when the employer is continuing to misrepresent what happened."

CHS leadership has 'lost their connection with the deaf community:' deaf entrepreneur

Andrea Zackery, who is deaf and a business owner, said she has used CHS services for many years and "felt heard and connected."

"However, CHS has changed, and it's been a lot of change and we need new change and we need that to happen now," she said, with the aid of an interpreter.

"So many offices have closed. Services have moved online. There are long wait times. There are not enough interpreters. There's fewer deaf staff within the organization, and we feel pushed out and disconnected and left behind."

Zackery said the workers deserve respect and fair pay and are right to be on strike because they're doing more with less.

"The CHS leadership has lost their connection with the deaf community. We can't say we support the deaf while at the same time you're underpaying deaf staff."