Local Government Member Benefits

The following union benefits are available to all OCSEA members that fall under a local government (city or county) union contract.

Member-only Benefits | Education Benefits | Discount College | Health Care | Retirement

Member-only Benefits

OCSEA Extras MyOCSEA sign in required
OCSEA Extras are exclusive consumer discounts for OCSEA dues-paying members and retirees. Sign in with your member-only MyOCSEA account to see what's new. This includes summer member-only discounts to Ohio theme parks, water parks, zoos and more plus tuition discounts.

Workplace Security Insurance
OCSEA has teamed up with Pearl Insurance to offer free, member-only Workplace Security Insurance, which covers death and dismemberment while on the job and in the event of a hostage situation. The $10,000 insurance policy is provided at absolutely no cost to members ONLY. Non-members can receive the benefit if they sign a union membership card.

AFSCME Advantage afscme.org/advantage
Being an AFSCME member doesn’t only get you an advantage at the bargaining table – it also gets you access to discounts and benefits that can help make life a little easier.

Union Plus unionplus.org
Union Plus is a non-profit consumer benefits organization created and endorsed by the AFL-CIO. Their mission is to improve the quality of life for union members and their families by providing valuable benefits and services.

Education Benefits

Les Best Scholarship
OCSEA members and their families are eligible to apply for the union's college scholarships. The annual OCSEA Les Best Scholarship program, with a total of $12,000 awarded each academic year, includes scholarship for members, dependents and spouses. The deadline to apply is April 30 each year. Members and families may also be eligible for the AFSCME and AFL-CIO Union Plus scholarships.

Discount College

OCSEA members and family have access to discounted college rates. All dues-paying OCSEA members and retirees as well as their extended family members are eligible. The programs cover a diverse range of discounted educational programs, including degrees and certifications at online colleges and universities nationwide. These benefits include a 2026 expansion to two discount college programs, opening the door to more educational options for members and families.

EBS Union College Benefit ebsunioncollegebenefit.org/OCSEA
Where education meets affordability! OCSEA’s college benefit through the Employee Benefit Systems (EBS) guides OCSEA dues-paying members and family members (including extended family) to find the right college and degree options for you. Full- and part-time programs are available. This exclusive tuition discount partnership benefit was negotiated by OCSEA for hard-working OCSEA member families only as an additional way to reduce the cost of higher education and training. 

Edvance Union College Benefit unionplus.org/benefits/education
Cutting college costs for union families! With affordable, online options for certificates, associate, bachelor's and graduate degrees, plus annual scholarship awards, Edvance is here to help your union family reach its education goals. The Edvance discount college partnership benefit, available to all OCSEA dues-paying members and family members (including extended family), helps union families reach their education goals without breaking the budget.

Additional Tuition Discounts MyOCSEA sign in required
OCSEA members and their immediate family members are eligible for even more tuition discounts at select online universities through the OCSEA Extras member-only discount program. This includes the following online universities: Columbia Southern University, Drexel University Online and University of Arizona Global Campus.

Health Care

OCSEA members in local government workplaces have negotiated separate collective bargaining agreements, including health care agreements.*
Go to Local Government Contracts to find your workplace collective bargaining agreement. 
* Local government members are not covered under the Union Benefits Trust dental, vision and life insurance plan.

Retirement

Retiree Union Membership
OCSEA retirees can become an active OCSEA Retiree Member and get many of the OCSEA benefits of being union.

Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) opers.org
Public employees work hard and depend on their pensions when they reach retirement. OPERS provides for retirement, disability retirement and survivor benefits programs for more than 1 million members, including 49,300 state employees. While OCSEA IS NOT involved in the administration of state pension plans, OCSEA's President is an elected representative on the OPERS Board of Trustees working on behalf of state employee union members to ensure those pension dollars are being properly managed. 

The Ohio Deferred Compensation Program ohio457.org
The Ohio Deferred Compensation Program is a supplemental retirement plan for public employees. Participants can invest tax-deferred money to help meet their long-term financial goals.