FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hamilton, ON – The union representing nearly 4,750 workers at Hamilton Health Sciences is holding a public town hall meeting on Tuesday evening at the United Steelworkers Hall on Barton St.
“The staffing cuts at HHS are gutting vital services at our hospital including operating rooms and surgical centres, which will only worsen painfully long wait-times and deepen an ongoing crisis,” said Jillian Watt, president of CUPE 7800. “This affects all of us – everyone in this city should be assured that if they fall sick, they can rely on a well-funded, properly staffed hospital. The government through its funding cuts is taking that away from us. It’s unacceptable,” Watt said.
The union has been actively campaigning ever since the hospital announced 413 staffing cuts in September in response to a $150 million budget deficit.
CUPE points out that at least 1,500 health care workers have been eliminated across Ontario in the past year because of the provincial government’s funding cuts.
While hospitals report annual cost inflation of six per cent in the sector, government funding increased by four per cent in 2025-26, and is projected to increase 3.3 per cent in 2026-27 – a significant funding cut in the midst of a staffing crisis.
The list of speakers at the town hall features health care workers as well as a family caregiver of an HHS patient. The event will include a Q&A to elicit feedback from local residents.
Who: Jillian Watt, president, CUPE 7800
Michael Hurley, president of OCHU-CUPE
Magda Shering, CUPE 7800 member & registered practical nurse at HHS
Mikayla Sithamparapillai, family caregiver of recent HHS patient
Health care workers represented by CUPE 7800 Hamilton residents
What: CUPE 7800 public town hall to defend services at HHS
When: 6 p.m. on Tuesday, November 10
Where: United Steelworkers Hall, 1031 Barton St. E., Hamilton, ON
For more information, contact:
Zee Noorsumar, CUPE Communications
znoorsumar@cupe.ca
647-995-9859
