Protect Your OMERS Pension

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Take Action

OMERS just had another high performing year.

* Investment returns of a net 11.5%, almost double required discount rate of 6.2% and well above the strategic rate.

* 2017 earnings of $9.9 billion were used to both lower next year’s discount rate and increase the plan fund.

* The plan holds more than $95 million in assets.

Yet some at the sponsors corporation want to get rid of key benefits like guaranteed indexing. We can’t let that happen.

Let OMERS know we must keep key benefits like guaranteed indexing so we can keep up with cost-of-living increases and live with dignity after we retire.

Send them a message:

Dear Sponsors Corporation CEO,

I am a member of the OMERS pension plan and am writing to express my concern that, yet again, the OMERS Sponsors Corporation (SC) is considering plans to modify the benefits in OMERS, including guaranteed indexing

After yet another high performing years OMERS is well ahead of schedule to be fully fu dead by 2025, keeping our plan in a strong position to maintain core benefits like guaranteed indexing.

2017’s investment returns of a net 11.5% are almost double the required discount rate of 6.2% and well above the strategic rate. With $9.9 billion in earnings this year, the plan was able to both lower the discount rate for 2018 and increase the plan’s funded status.

We are in a very strong position to stay the course, as a member of the plan, that is what I want OMERS to do as it goes through Comprehensive Plan Review.

Most OMERS pension members make modest salaries; but we defer a portion of our wages to the plan because we know it is critical for our retirement. We also know that our modest salaries turn into modest pensions. Maintaining OMERS benefits, like guaranteed indexing, is critical to us keeping up with the constant increases in the cost of living once we retire.

Guaranteed indexing, survivor benefits and early retirement are some of the key benefits of being an OMERS plan member. They are features of our pension plan that makes us proud to be members – features for which I have willingly contributed more to my pension to guarantee they will be there when I retire.

I know the current proposal is to do a comprehensive  Review, looking at all plan benefits based on “what if” versions of the future. I also know this comes less than a year after previous attempts to reduce OMERS ‘ current benefits puts my own retirement planning in jeopardy. That is not an unknown future “what if” – that is a fact.

I am asking all members of the OMERS SC to do the right thing and vote against any proposals that reduce OMERS benefits, and request that, as the CEO, you ensure this correspondence is shared at the next meeting of the OMERS SC Board.

Sincerely

your name

then send

 

CUPE Ontario Alert – OMERS Town Hall Call July 11

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Changes to your OMERS pension Telephone Town Hall

Mark your calendars: Critical call on changes to your OM.ERS pension – July 11, 6 pm

CUPE Ontario now has the details of the changes OMERS is planning to make to the pension plan and they are not good for you or the members of your local. You need to know the details so we can stop them before the damage is done.

We are holding a very important telephone Town hall to go over the proposed changes and what w need to do to protect your pension.

The Town hall will take place on Wednesday July 11th at 6:00 pm.

To participate all you need to do is answer the phone when we call or you can dial in directly by calling:

1-877-229-8493 (114235#) for English

1-877-229-8493 (114915#) for French

It is critical that your local executive is on the call

We look forward to your participation

CUPE Ontario

Omers

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Fellow Members,

 

In March, we provided a brief update and a link to a CUPE online petition to remind OMERS that we expect our representatives to vote against any measure which would end guaranteed indexing for our pensions (see the 28 March 2018 post on our website).  OMERS retirement pension payments are currently indexed to rise with the cost of living.

 

While there is not much new to report, CBC News published an article 2 June 2018 to revive the story, which also captures CUPE’s position on this matter:

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/omers-union-pension-change-1.4687768

 

Although OMERS has not announced any decisions or reported any changes to our pension, the CBC article does acknowledge that OMERS has been reviewing its benefits since September, and this is still a proposal on the table.

 

If CUPE Local 101 receives any new information or updates, we will continue to share it in this space.

OMERS

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Fellow Members,

As you may recall, last year OMERS explored the possibility of ending the practice of indexing our pension. Doing so would cause our pensions to fail to keep up the cost of living.

CUPE successfully campaigned and defeated this.

This year CUPE Ontario is asking for your support to help us remind OMERS that we expect our representatives to vote against any measure to end guaranteed indexing.

Please visit the link below to read the message, and consider adding your name in support.

https://cupe.on.ca/omers-guaranteed-indexing

Sincerely

Adam Brightling

Exec. Liaison, Sub Units

Unity Project for the Relief of Homelessness appreciates CUPE 101 participation

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A huge thank you from all of us at Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness in London for your awesome participation in our Raising the Roof Toque Campaign 2018!

Overall, 377 toques and 138 ball caps were sold which generated sales of $8,415.00! Fantastic!  It’s great being involved in the National Campaign. Thanks for doing your part!

Here is a link to our Facebook page with all of the photos from our Campaign.

Th London Abused Women’s Centre terminates CTV London/Bell Media Association

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In light of CTV London/Bell Media’s failure to address the long-term, serious, and numerous public complaints and concerns of sexism, racism, homophobia, and xenophobia by at least one of its on-air personalities, LAWC’s Board of Directors has unanimously decided to severe its relationship with CTV London and Bell Media.

CTV London has been a long-term sponsor of LAWC’s largest fundraising event – The International Women’s Day Breakfast. We hope you and your organization and all Canadians will stand in solidarity with LAWC and the women and girls we serve by sharing the letter, boycotting CTV/Bell Media, and promoting and attending our event.

This is a historic time in the lives of women and girls who are rising collectively to hold perpetrators accountable for their behaviour. The London Abused Women’sCentr rises with them.

Megan Walker

Executive Director

London Abused Women’s Centre

797 York Street

London,Ontario N6A 5P9

Canada

519-433-2204

mwalker@lawc.on.ca

http://www.lawc.lawc.on.ca/

 

 

OFL Rally for Time to Care

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OFL Rally for Time to Care

February 27 at noon

Queen’s Park, Toronto

Ontario seniors in long-term homes have waited too long for the care they deserve. Let’s take action now o make Bill 33, the Time to Care Act, the law.

Lunch provided

Buses available

Please contact CUPE Ontario – 905-739-9739

Ontario’s long-term care system is in crisis and is less funded than any other province in Canada. Other provinces provide over half an hour of extra paid care for each resident per day then Ontario  does. This means residents are waiting for hours to get help with feeding., bathing, toileting, and getting out of bed. This crisis has gone on for too long. Bill 33, the Time to Care Act, will make 4 hours of daily, hands-on, the law in Ontario. We need Premier Wynne and MPPs to get it over the finish line.

In late, 2017, the provincial government finally responded to mounting public pressure to make Bill 33, the law. Less than a week after thousands of Ontarian’s called, emailed and petitioned their MPPs to get Bill 33 to pass Second Reading, the Premier made an announcement about four hours of Care.

Unfortunately, the government announcement rang hollow

* There is no plan to legislate a minimum Care standard of 4 hours of direct Care, per resident, per day. Without a standard enshrined in law, there is no way to maintain province-wide standards for seniors;

* There is no timeline for implementation;

* These 4 hours must be hands-on, direct care hours by personal support workers or nursing staff. It should not include sick time, vacation time, or training time – unlike how the government calculates Care hours now.

On Feb. 27, let’s rise up for seniors in long-term Care. Come to Queen’s Park at 12 pm to send the Premier and all our MPPs a clear message: make Time to Care the law in Ontario!