(L-R) Janet Ellenberger, Alana DeVille and Gayle Newman picket in support of a new contract for unionized CUPE workers at the Belleville chapter of the Canadian Hearing Society. (Photo: John Spitters / Quinte News)
Things are getting a bit more complicated, surrounding an ongoing labour dispute between the Canadian Hearing Society and CUPE Local 2073 workers, including some in Belleville.
The union has filed an unfair labour practice complaint with the Ontario Labour Relations Board citing a number of concerns, including that the CHS dealt directly with employees on April 7th by sending individual offers via Purolator, instead of tabling those offers through the union.
The union also alleges the CHS shared other information with striking workers, which wasn’t tabled during negotiations and also sent out false financial information to employees, which was different from figures used in bargaining.
The work stoppage affects 227 workers province-wide, including counselors, literacy instructors, audiologists and more, who haven’t had a wage increase in four years.
The union says “the money being spent to prolong the strike should be used instead to provide high-quality services to the deaf and hard of hearing community” and urges the CHS “to find a mature way to resolve the dispute”.
