It's almost time to ring in the New Year. Why not let 2023 be the year you reconnect with your union! Just a reminder, OCSEA is a member-driven union. That means it takes the hard work and dedication of ALL members of the union to make a difference, from contract enforcement and labor/management to communication and chapter building. As a public union member, here are just a few resolutions that you can make to become more active and involved as a union member.
- Get Trained - Resolve this year to take at least one OCSEA training. This could be as simple as taking a Basic Steward training to get to know your union contract. Remember, you don't have to become a steward to take Basic Steward training, but the more members who know the contract, the better off we all are and the more leverage we have to make change.
- Get Involved - Resolve to get involved in your local chapter. Every member is assigned to a chapter. Ask your chapter leaders how you can attend an upcoming meeting and get more involved. Not sure who to contact? Get in touch with the OCSEA Member Resource Center at 888-OCSEA11 or MRC@ocsea.org to get help. Don't forget that State contract negotiations is coming up at the end of next year and we'll need everyone's involvement to ensure we get a strong contract.
- Stay Informed - Resolve to keep up with union news. A good way to do that is make sure your email is up-to-date so you get weekly union emails. You can check your profile HERE. And, make sure you visit OCSEA.org often, too, for the latest news and events.
- Promote unionism - Resolve to talk up the power of being union. With so much negativity in the world, talking positively about the good things in our lives can really help. For more than a century, unions have built up the middle class and given workers a voice when they had none. We still need this today. And we need union members to spread the word about all the good that comes with being union, to their families, friends, social media friends and communities.
- Take Action - Resolve to take action when public services and unions are under fire. There are two things that OCSEA members have in common: all are government employees and are union members. So, when public jobs, benefits, pensions and union power are attacked, we must all come together in solidarity. And when there is a call to action, we must all be ready to answer that call. For example, Ohio's House Joint Resolution 6 (HJR6) threatens over 100 years of democracy that gives Ohioans a right to a citizen-led ballot initiative. That's right, the same right that let us defeat Senate Bill 5 is under attack this new year. Just like SB5, we will need every member to take action! Stay tuned to keep informed and take action on this and many other issues impacting public union members.