In 2025, from east to west and north to south, we have once again demonstrated the power of workers when we stand together, and the importance of public services for our communities. Our power comes from our members, our activists, and our leaders. For all you have done to make our union a stronger voice for working people – thank you. On behalf of our 800,000 members from coast to coast to coast, we wish you and your family the very best for this holiday season and 2026.

The recommendations that came out of the OMERS governance review were, by and large, good for union plan members and for OMERS as a whole. The proposed changes would have restored the sponsors at OMERS as a true bargaining board and ensured that plan members retained their voice and vote share in a jointly sponsored plan.

But when the Conservative government buried governance changes to OMERS in its omnibus Bill 68, it cherry-picked which recommendations to implement. Specifically, it chose to re-impose on the members of the new Sponsors Council a fiduciary duty to members and employers – the very thing the review rightly identifies as the problem.

The Conservatives also ignore other important recommendations and suggest further changes would be made by regulation. This could put more of OMERS’ governance under direct government control.

Every union represented in the plan agrees: these parts of Bill 68 won’t be good for plan members or for OMERS itself.

Click to send a message to Rob Flack, the minister responsible for OMERS, and demand that he implement the recommendations of the review to protect the plan and the voices of its members.

On Tuesday, the majority of councillors said YES to a huge pay raise. Voting in favour of the motion was:

Josh Morgan, Shawn Lewis, Hadleigh McAlister, Peter Cuddy, Jerry Pribal, Steve Lehman, Skylar Franke, Elizabeth Peloza and Steve Hilliar.

Make a plan to vote in the next Municipal Election, your voice can trounce self-indulgence.

Recently, CUPE members from the Air Canada Component demonstrated remarkable solidarity and resilience by standing up to federal interference in their bargaining process. By challenging the government’s use of Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, they successfully forced the employer back to the table and reached a tentative agreement. This victory is a powerful reminder that our right to free collective bargaining is protected under the Charter – and must be respected.

But this fight is far from over.

Our Sisters and Brothers in the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) are facing a similar struggle. CUPW members in both urban and rural/suburban units have overwhelmingly rejected Canada Post’s final offer. Despite CUPW’s efforts to re-engage in meaningful negotiations – including a direct invitation to CEO Doug Ettinger on August 6 – Canada Post has responded not with cooperation, but with further attacks on services and working conditions.

This pattern of employer aggression, backed by federal interference, is unacceptable. Just as CUPE members at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge stood firm, we must continue to stand with CUPW to demand fair treatment and respect for their bargaining rights.

Here’s how you can help:

1. Write letters of support for postal workers. These letters should call on Canada Post to negotiate fairly and urge the federal government to stop interfering in the bargaining process, specifically to commit to no more back-to-work legislation or imposed votes.
2. Amplify public support: Post the attached “Negotiate Now” poster in both English and French across your social media platforms.
3. Continue to call out government interference: Actively denounce the federal Liberal government’s blatant interference in the collective bargaining process, interference that has repeatedly favoured the employer. We urge you to raise this issue prominently during union meetings.

The Ford Conservatives have ordered an OMERS governance review and appointed one of their own, Robert Poirier, to lead it.

The review will look at the Sponsors Corporation (SC) in particular. This is the body in which CUPE and other unions are represented; the SC is how CUPE plan members have their say over what happens to the plan that manages their pension.

Your retirement future depends on your involvement!

Get involved!

• Add your name to CUPE Ontario’s review submission: CUPE Ontario’s submission to the OMERS review

The following website is available for Local 101 members with lots of good discounts. You will be asked to setup an account: www.unionsavings.ca

Did you know that labour unions made the following 36 things possible?

1. Weekends without work
2. All breaks at work, including your lunch breaks
3. Paid vacation
4. Family & medical leave
5. Sick leave
6. Social security
7. Minimum wage
8. Prohibiting employer discrimination
9. 8-hour work day
10. Overtime pay
11. Child labour laws
12. Occupational Safety & Health
13. 40-hour work week
14. Workers’ compensation (workers’ comp)
15. Unemployment insurance
16. Pensions
17. Workplace safety standards and regulations
18. Employer health care insurance
19. Collective bargaining rights for employees
20. Wrongful termination laws
21. Legislation against age discrimination
22. Whistle blower protection laws
23. Legislation prohibiting employers from using a lie detector test on an employee
24. Veteran’s employment and training services
25. Compensation increases and evaluations (i.e. raises)
26. Sexual harassment laws
27. Disabilities legislation
28. Holiday pay
29. Employer dental, life, and vision insurance
30. Privacy rights
31. Pregnancy and parental leave
32. Military leave
33. The right to strike
34. Public education for children
35. Equal pay – requires employers pay men and women equally for the same amount of work
36. Laws ending sweatshops