Executive & Staff
The executive committee is elected for a one-year term at the annual CUPE 1281 Convention, typically in July. The executive committee in office as of August 1st, 2025 is as follows.
Committees
Sonja, Sharmeen and Lyndall at the CUPE National Convention.
CUPE 1281 has four committees which are made up of individual members elected at the local’s annual Convention. Committees meet at least twice a year.
1. The Organizing Committee is chaired by the President and is responsible for deciding either in concurrence with or against any organizing drives recommended to it by the Executive to be conducted by the local. The Organizing Committee will keep all information on organizing drives confidential.
2. The Governance Committee is chaired by the Vice-President and is responsible for reviewing and discussing the by-laws, standing policies, policies of CUPE, and new legislation that impacts the Local or unions in general. The Committee makes recommendations for amendments or additions to the bylaws and policies of the Local. This Committee shall also undertake education work to inform members about any changes in legislation that impact the work of their sector, public services, labour relations, equity or unions.
3. The Membership Development Committee is chaired by the Equity Officer and is responsible for discussing, recommending, developing and establishing ways to engage members, communicate with and inform members about their union rights, and establishing campaigns in the workplace that address equity issues and seek to minimize harassment and bullying in the workplace.
4. The Retirees Committee is chaired by the Retiree Chair and is responsible for mobilizing retiring and retired members, enhancing institutional memory, engaging in activism and ensuring the participation of retired members for the benefit of the Local.
Additionally, Convention and/or Stewards’ Council may strike sub-committees as are considered appropriate for the needs and purposes of the Local.
| Committee | Member | |
|---|---|---|
| Organizing Committee | Sam (Chair) | |
| Sharmeen | ||
| Angela | ||
| Mohammed | ||
| Anna | ||
| Governance Committee | Lori (Chair) | |
| Omorowa | ||
| Madeline | ||
| Judith | ||
| Membership Committee | Mariam (Chair) | |
| Hamzah | ||
| Beryl | ||
| Joseph | ||
| Retirees Committee | Stephen (Chair) |
If you are interested in joining one of the CUPE 1281 committees when there are vacancies, please contact admin@cupe1281.ca.
What we do
Alyssa and Elise at the Day of Action for Paid Sick Days on August 29, 2020.
CUPE Local 1281 is a proud local of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). CUPE democratically represents over
500,000 workers from across the country. The union collectively speaks for workers on issues like health care and workers’ rights to organize. At the same time, CUPE locals are largely autonomous, with the ability to hold their own positions and pursue local objectives.
As a composite local that represents workers in geographically disparate workplaces, the structure of CUPE 1281 is somewhat unique. Our structure consists of sub-units with sub-unit stewards, Steward’s Council, Convention, and an Executive Committee. In addition to the outline provided below, it is important to review the policy documents in the Resources and Documents section to understand the whole picture.