Hearing services workers in Hamilton continue to strike alongside Ontario colleagues

It was cold and drizzling when Laura Burrows stood outside Canadian Hearing Services (CHS) in Hamilton last week, surrounded by colleagues holding signs and flags.  

Burrows is one of more than 200 CHS workers across the province going into their second week on strike as of Monday. The publicly funded agency provides services to Deaf, hard of hearing, and Deafblind Ontarians.

Bundled against the wind on May 1, Burrows was on the picket line instead of meeting with clients, as she has for more than two decades.

"I'm heartbroken," said Burrows, who is deaf. "These aren't just clients. They're my community."

Since April 28, the strike has shut down services in more than 15 cities across Ontario, and workers say it's not just about wages — it's about respect, transparency, and the survival of essential services.

"We love our jobs, but we're burning out. There just aren't enough hours in the day," Burrows said. 

More work, less overall pay, workers say

CHS is funded by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.

Staff and CUPE 2073, the union representing the workers, say services have eroded, workloads have surged, and trust has broken down — all while executive salaries have grown and frontline wages have fallen behind inflation.

Workers say they asked CHS to extend the protections of their expired collective agreement during bargaining, but instead, the organization requested a 'no board' report — a formal step that ends conciliation and sets the clock ticking toward a legal strike or lockout — before meaningful negotiations had taken place. CHS then revoked key provisions, including sick leave and previously approved vacations, the union says. 

CHS serves more than 50,000 clients

For Burrows, the breakdown between employer and workers has had real consequences.

"Some clients have messaged me, but I can't respond," she says. "They're contacting me on my work phone, and during the strike, I'm restricted from using it." 

According to CHS, in 2024–2025, it served 56,745 clients across Ontario — including 8,068 new clients — and held more than 252,000 appointments across programs such as audiology, mental health counselling, employment services, interpreting, and literacy support. 

Burrows fears many clients are unaware that services have been impacted, particularly because so many interactions now happen remotely. "They have hospital appointments, legal issues, school meetings. They're confused, and they're being left with nothing."

She says the shift to remote-only services since the pandemic has already strained the quality of support CHS can offer. "We used to have 24 offices — now it's 15, and most of them are only open for audiology or hearing aid services." 

CHS is Ontario's largest provider of ASL interpreting and mental health care for deaf and hard of hearing individuals, and it runs 24/7 emergency interpreting for hospitals, police, courts, and long-term care facilities — all of which may be disrupted during the strike. 

A CHS spokesperson in an emailed statement said that "there are no negative impacts on Deaf and hard of hearing people in Hamilton, as we continue to provide services." CHS did not provide further detail on how it is providing those services. 

CHS says its offer is 'generous' 

In a statement released April 28, CHS said it had proposed a one-year renewal agreement with a 4.9 per cent wage increase, calling it a "generous offer" meant to ensure stability for both staff and clients.

The union is asking for an incremental increase in overall compensation, that includes salary and benefits, for a total of 30.5 per cent after three years. 

CHS said CUPE 2073 walked away from negotiations prematurely and described the union's counterproposal as "not based in the realities of our business and available resources."

The union meanwhile disputes CHS's characterization of the negotiations so far. Workers on the picket line, including Burrows, say the employer requested a No Board report before meaningful bargaining could take place and failed to respond to key union concerns.

"We never got the chance to truly negotiate," Burrows said. "They gave us a so-called best offer that expired in 24 hours, then pulled back protections like sick leave and vacations. That's not good-faith bargaining."

CHS also said that the average salary for its unionized employees is $75,000 and emphasized that it values its workforce and continues to bargain in good faith.

"Our workforce is vital to our mission, and we want to ensure they are supported as we continue to serve Deaf and hard of hearing communities across Canada," the statement said.

Bargaining continues Tuesday

CBC Hamilton reached out to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services for comment and the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) responded on their behalf. 

The ministry said it has assigned a mediator to assist both parties.

"To preserve the effectiveness and integrity of the system, as the neutral custodian for Ontario's labour relations, MLITSD cannot provide further comment at this time," said spokesperson Janet Deline.

The next bargaining day is scheduled for Tuesday, according to CHS.

Workers say they hope CHS will come to the table in good faith. "We want them to meet us halfway," said Burrows. "Respect us. We've given so much to this organization and to the community. We deserve to be heard."