OCSEA Chris President Mabe has been hitting the airwaves and news outlets to remind Ohioans of all the public service employees keeping the state afloat, whether at home or still on the job. And no agency has been hit harder than the state prison system, where one brother correction officer has died, staff and inmate sick rates rise daily, and institutional "Code Reds" continue to mount across the state.
This past weekend, President Mabe participated in an interview on Ohio Public Radio for the All Sides with Ann Fisher program "Managing Cornonavirus in Prisons." Pres. Mabe discussed the current plight of Ohio's prisons and the need for widespread testing to flatten the curve, an increase in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to protect staff, and fair and equitable compensation (and leave) for ALL employees who continue to put their lives on the line. You can hear the interview HERE, with Pres. Mabe starting around the 18-minute mark.
"We believe that all employees are essential. That's why we will continue to fight for our members' safety during this crisis and will never quit. We will continue to push back during, and far after this crisis is over, to prove that words and agreements have meaning and union contracts have power," Mabe continues to reiterate to frustrated members. "State agencies just can't make up the rules as they go along."
See below for more recent OCSEA in the News:
Coronavirus In Ohio: Prison Employees Union Worried About Working Conditions - 4/14/20
Managing Coronavirus In Prisons - 4/13/20
Union president says Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction not prepared for coronavirus - 4/9/20
‘We’re not essential, we’re sacrificial.’ Prisoners and prison workers frightened as outbreak worsens - 4/8/20
Ohio’s curve flattening significantly, state says, but safeguards must continue - 4/8/20
Coronavirus in Ohio: Richland County's cases rise to 25 with first reported death - 4/8/20
Union head says Ohio prisons should have been better prepared for coronavirus - 4/7/20