Honoring our everyday heroes this Public service recognition & corrections week
“Every single day, public service workers go above and beyond to keep our communities safe and healthy. While the work they do often goes unseen, our lives would not be the same without their commitment," wrote AFSCME President Lee Saunders this week in honor of Public Service Recognition Week and National Correctional Officer and Employee Appreciation Week. Here in Ohio, from those protecting our communities and maintaining our roads to those making sure our water and food is safe and our families stay healthy, OCSEA members are everyday heroes that never waver in their service to Ohio.
Pres. Saunders also thanked our AFSCME Corrections family for their sacrifices. “Corrections officers and employees face incredibly challenging working conditions every single day. Throughout the pandemic, they have continued to serve through repeated COVID outbreaks, long hours away from home and chronic short staffing that makes their jobs even more dangerous. But they do it to keep our communities and our families safe. OCSEA President Chris Mabe will address and show his appreciation to our brothers and sisters in Ohio corrections at this week's virtual Corrections Officer of the Year ceremony.
But it's not enough to give thanks. Public employees should be honored by action, said Saunders. “This week, as we pause to thank public service workers for their labor and sacrifices, we should also commit to honoring them with action. We must invest in and expand our public service workforce to better respond to future crises. We must implement strong health and safety standards to protect workers on the job. And we must expand collective bargaining rights for public sector workers, because we know our communities are stronger when workers have a voice on the job," said Saunders.
What's your public service story?
Meet Ron Campbell. He's a proud Ohio public employee at the Ohio Dept. of Corrections Operation Support Center (OSC) where he is a Correction Record Sentence Computation/Release Officer. He serves because his family is the most important thing to him. He says public service allows him to give the security and confidence to provide for his wife, kids and "bonus kids" and plan for the future.
Join Ron and help us celebrate Public Service Recognition Week and National Correctional Officer and Employee Appreciation Week and highlight your work and achievements with your own personal "I serve because..." story. Click below to comment and share on social media why you are a proud public employee. Make sure you use the tags #OCSEA and #PSRW:
