In our communities.
For our communities.

Membership Update: March 2021

CUPE 503 Office Operations

Our 503 Office Operations continue with staff working from home. Staff are available to provide services to members seamlessly and can be reached by calling our general office number at 613-230-2456 or you can email [email protected]. If you require a Shop Steward for representation meetings please contact Heather at our office and she can connect you with a steward. 

March 2021 Shop Stewards Council Meeting & General Membership Meeting

With Ottawa moving into the orange restrict zone we are able to convene both our Shop Stewards Council meeting on Tuesday, March 16th at 5:30pm and the General Membership Meeting at 7:00pm. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on indoor gatherings we will be limited to 50 people within the training hall and all safe practices will be in place to ensure physical distancing. You can check out the protocols we will have in place on the Notice we posted on the website here.

City of Ottawa Inside Outside Collective Agreement Bargaining

On February 9,10, 11 2021 the CUPE 503 bargaining team and the employer met with the goal of reaching a negotiated settlement. On February 11th the CUPE 503 Bargaining Team informed the employer that the parties remain too far apart on key issues to the membership and the Union would take the next step of filing for Conciliation. The Ministry of Labour has appointed a Conciliator and she has provided dates she is available to meet with the parties the end of March and throughout April. We expect a date to be set in the coming days.

City of Clarence Rockland Collective Agreement Bargaining

The City of Clarence Rockland Bargaining Team met virtually with the employer for 7 days of bargaining the end of January and in February. After having some progress at the table, the bargaining team offered two more days for the parties to continue negotiations in March. With COVID-19 it is more important than ever for the Local to have your PERSONAL email address and we ask that members contact Heather at [email protected] to be added to our e-mail list.

Ottawa Public Library Collective Agreement Bargaining

The OPL Bargaining Team has met to review the survey results, and will be hosting a virtual Ratification of Demands meeting on March 24th 2021 through Zoom and bargaining dates have been confirmed commencing March 26th through to the later part of April 2021. With COVID-19 it is more important than ever for the Local to have your PERSONAL email address and we ask that members contact Heather at [email protected] to be added to our e-mail list.

City of Ottawa Part-time Recreation & Culture Collective Agreement Bargaining

Our Bargaining Team has been established and will be finalizing the membership survey to develop proposals. Given the number of transitions with this particular unit and COVID-19 it is more important than ever for the Local to have your PERSONAL email address and we ask that members contact Heather at [email protected] to be added to our e-mail list. We will be completing a mail out as well as an email blast with the survey link. 

Embassy West Retirement Residence

The membership surveys have been completed and the bargaining team has met to review the findings. A Virtual Ratification of Demands meeting has been set for March 10th 2021 and Bargaining has been scheduled for mid-March and the end of March for our Embassy West members. 

Forest Hill

A ratification of demands meeting has been set for April 22nd 2021 and a notice is being prepared for the membership. Dates for bargaining are almost confirmed with the Employer and the bargaining team has been convened to review the survey results.

Sandfield Place

We have been able to confirm dates with the employer for mid-May for our bargaining team and the employer to come together to negotiate a collective agreement. The Ratification of Demands meeting has been set for May 7th 2021 and a notice is being prepared to be sent out to the members.

Champlain LHINS Members

After hosting two virtual town hall meetings and conducting votes on whether or not CUPE 503 members wish to proceed with returning to a central table with Ontario Health. We have communicated the results of the vote to CUPE National who will be taking next steps and we will provide an update to the membership of where things land with the other CUPE LHINS units from across the province.

For CUPE 503 Members in the OMERS Pension Plan, an Update from CUPE Ontario

Dear OMERS plan members: 

We wanted to give you an important update about OMERS. As you may have heard, the pension fund lost more than $3 billion or -2.7% last year, a shortfall of more than $10 billion compared to their own benchmark returns for 2020. 

This is the result of some very questionable decisions made by investment managers that business media giant Bloomberg described as “bad bets” with your pension savings, while the five top OMERS executives collectively made $8 million in bonuses last year.  

And this isn’t new – it’s part of a longer pattern of underperformance at OMERS. 

Well, now it’s time to demand accountability and to ramp up our calls for increased scrutiny of OMERS. We are currently in the process of demanding an immediate and comprehensive review of OMERS’ failed investment management in recent years, with full disclosure to plan members and the involvement of unions and employers.  

We simply can’t allow OMERS executives to get away with washing their hands of these investment results or blaming COVID for their poor 2020 returns. On the exact same day OMERS reported losses, Quebec’s large pension fund manager, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), reported positive 2020 returns of +7.7%. 

This latest bad news from OMERS is the result of their decisions and CUPE Ontario will continue to oppose any attempt to make plan members pay for them. 

To CUPE Ontario’s 120,000 active OMERS plan members, we will take action. There will be accountability. 

Please keep an eye out for updated information, including ways you can take direct action as a plan member of OMERS. 

Fred Hahn President, CUPE Ontario

CUPE 503 Website & Membership Emails

We will continue to use the website for monthly membership updates on bargaining and office operations. As COVID-19 continues building our membership email reach is a key priority and we encourage all members to provide their PERSONAL email to Heather at [email protected]. This will ensure timely communications and also ensure our office operations are in compliance with public health recommendations.