“Different!” is one word that comes to mind for OCSEA activist Denise Laser when describing what it’s been like to work in a state psychiatric hospital amid a pandemic. She says that’s also how it has felt leading her chapter during these unique times, being appointed her chapter’s president just before the start of the pandemic. “It’s just been different. There’s no other word to describe it. We’ve had to change how we do things, look at things differently and adjust,” said Denise about her job as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and as a union leader trying to keep things together.
Denise is an LPN on an all-male forensic psychiatric unit at Heartland Behavioral Healthcare in Massillon, Ohio. She says having a union voice helps see her and her union co-workers through difficult times. She says the local union is vital in making sure that the pressure is always on, especially to keep hiring up and to make sure staff feel supported. She says the union contract is so important to attracting and retaining new employees and for ensuring union co-workers are healthy and safe.
Patti Golian couldn’t agree more. As chapter president at the Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare hospital in Northfield, Ohio, she says being a union family is key to keeping up morale. “It’s been a challenging year and half. That’s why camaraderie is so important,” says Patti.
Read more about how a union voice is giving strength to union leaders and their co-workers in the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the latest edition of the OCSEA magazine at OCSEA.org/PEQ.