Summer is flying by and before we know it we will be into fall and back into General Membership Meetings! At the General Membership Meeting on September 30th, there will be a vote on the proposed bylaw amendments that the Bylaw Committee developed this year. Check out the link below to give them a read (and discuss them with your coworkers!). Our bylaws exist to make sure our Union works for its members – so make sure and come out to our September GMM to make your voice heard!

Proposed Bylaw Amendments 2026

For years, the CUPE Ontario OMERS Reference Group has been at the forefront of protecting our members’ pensions — fighting to defend guaranteed indexing, protecting CUPE’s voice inside OMERS, and pushing for better returns. It’s where CUPE members hold our representatives on the OMERS boards accountable, mobilize across the province, and run the campaigns that protect what members have earned in Canada’s largest municipal pension plan.

Now there are up to four seats open for plan members, and we’re building a group that looks like our membership. The Reference Group meets at least twice a year, and more often when issues demand it, with members taking part in training and political action and getting a direct line into how we defend our pension at OMERS. If you’re a CUPE member in the OMERS plan and you’re ready to fight for your pension, we want to hear from you — fill out the form to put your name forward.

The deadline to submit the form is August 17^th.

Municipal workers are the backbone of our communities—keeping them clean, safe, and running every single day. But our jobs, and the services that everybody relies on, are under threat from understaffing and privatization.
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​Leading up to the 2026 Ontario municipal elections, this campaign will engage and empower CUPE locals and their members to become active participants in defending public services—at the ballot box, in their workplaces, and in their communities. The campaign will also work to identify and endorse municipal candidates across the province who believe in the value of public services and good, union jobs to elect worker-friendly councils across the province.
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​When workers thrive, communities thrive. This is your job, your community, and your vote—let’s use it to protect what matters. Election day is October 26th. If you want to get involved in local campaigns in Guelph, reach out to Devon at treasurer@cupelocal241.ca.

For more information about this campaign, and to pledge to participate in this year’s elections, visit the campaign website.

The Ford government has passed legislation that shifts control of Ontario’s local water systems, giving profit-driven companies power over our drinking water. That means higher bills, less safe water, and no control over something that belongs to all of us. But it’s not too late to push back.
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​Ontario’s water belongs to us—not corporations. Protect safe, affordable, public water for everyone. Send a message to your MPP and tell them to repeal Bill 60 and keep our water public, safe, and accountable to the people of Ontario. This is about protecting our right to clean, affordable water—for us and for future generations.

Visit KeepWaterPublic.ca to read more and add your voice.

Our President, Matt Manassis, spoke at Queens Park earlier this year about this issue – you can check out video from that event here.

Hello 241!

At our May General Membership Meeting we elected 2 members to fill Treasurer and Health and Wellness Representative on the Executive team.  Welcome Devon Ridge our new Treasurer and welcome Graeme Rowell our Health and Wellness Representative!

If you need to contact either of these individuals please go to the Executive and Stewards tab under the About Us.

Please take a look at CUPE’s We Pay, We Want a Say campaign and add your name to the petition to protect our pension!

All municipal workers, school board education workers, support staff, and child welfare or CAS workers in Ontario are members of the OMERS Pension Plan.

Your pension is a big part of your overall compensation – remember, every dollar you contribute to OMERS is your deferred wages.

Through your union, you need and deserve a strong voice in how your pension is managed.

All of that is now uncertain at OMERS. After an extensive review of the plan and a report which recommended many things CUPE supported, the Ford Conservatives passed Bill 68, which “cherry-picked” specific recommendations that will significantly change how OMERS operates and communicates with its members.

Deep within Bill 68, the government reinserted itself into the OMERS Act, seizing control over your pension with regulatory powers gifted to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS and unlike any other Jointly Sponsored Pension Plan in Canada. The Ford government’s Bill 68 has disrespected sponsors, like our union, by directing OMERS staff to draft new rules of operation for sponsors, rather than having sponsors write them themselves.

Bill 68 reintroduces a legal duty on sponsors, which will hurt our ability to bargain for your interests and lead to the same confidentiality problems that prompted this review in the first place.

Many sponsors, both unions and employers, are concerned about the changes in Bill 68, and we are working together to address these issues. The government has signalled that they may be willing to make changes, but we need your help here to apply pressure to ensure that they do.

The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, along with your local MP, needs to hear from you directly.  Twenty years ago, our union and others mounted a successful campaign to make OMERS an independent pension plan free from direct government control.  It is time for us to come together and do it again. Your retirement depends on it.

We’re excited to launch this site to help keep you informed about everything that’s happening in our local.

If you’ve got feedback or questions, or anything you’d like to see, please get in touch.