OHIO CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION
UNION NEWS / May 22, 2024

As we head into the long Memorial Day weekend, let us never forget those service men and women who paid the highest price of all to protect our freedoms and democracy. OCSEA President Chris Mabe and OCSEA leaders urge all members to take a moment to remember and honor all noble men and women who sacrificed their lives in service. And we say thank you to every active service member and the union veterans who have served their country. You are true heroes and the greatest public servants of all.

 

There are many ways to honor our fallen heroes this Memorial Day weekend and every day. Perhaps you have your own traditions to honor a family member or friend who made the ultimate sacrifice. But if you are looking for a way to show your respect, one way is to visit one of Ohio's many Gold Star Family Monuments throughout Ohio. Through the Woody Williams Foundation, the monuments honor, recognize, and serve Gold Star Families and the legacy of their loved ones who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. There is likely a monument near you. Find one here.

The Zoombezi Bay HALF OFF deal for OCSEA members is back!!! Half off daily admission Zoombezi Bay water park tickets are on sale now through May 31, 2024. Please note: the discounted tickets are VALID through June 30, 2024.

 

Click HERE to get your member-only half-price tickets with username CIVIL and password OCSEA11. Click the "Zoombezi Bay" tab. Visit the Zoombezi Bay's website to check the 2024 operating hours. 

 

Tickets grant guests admission to Zoombezi Bay and include free access to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium during Zoo operating hours. Children under 3 are free. Limit 6 tickets per transaction.

 

Find more summer deals at OCSEA.org/EXTRAS.

OCSEA chapters will have until Friday, July 5 at noon to vote on the OCSEA Contract Tentative Agreement and Fact Finder’s Report. Please note, the Fact Finder's report HAS NOT been released yet. The Fact Finder's deadline is June 19.

 

Voting will begin once the following has occurred:

• OCSEA releases a booklet of the Fact Finder’s Report over email to all active union members. This will go out on Friday, June 21 to personal emails on file with the Union.
• OCSEA holds the first of two virtual Road Shows over Zoom (leaders should attend at least one before holding voting). The two Road shows will take place on Monday, June 24 at noon AND 7 p.m. to discuss the report directly with members. Links for the Zooms will be sent through email and posted on the OCSEA website.

Once the first OCSEA Roadshow has ended, chapter leaders will start holding in-person contract voting events for their chapter members. Each chapter will be responsible for holding their own voting event. Please look for a very important post card from the union on voting in the mail coming in early June. That post card will include the link to the OCSEA website with each chapter's specific voting dates, times and locations.

To prepare, please double check your MyOCSEA account today. Make sure you can login to your MyOCSEA account at ocsea.org so you can access chapter voting information. This information will only be available by logging on to your MyOCSEA account.

Remember: Only active, dues-paying members can vote on the Tentative Agreement and fact Finder's Report. If you know someone who is a non-member who wants to vote on the contract, let them know they can sign a card online or at the chapter voting location.

Have questions or need to update your contact information? Contact the OCSEA Member Resource Center (MRC) at 888-OCSEA-11 or MRC@ocsea.org. Contact your chapter leaders if you have questions specific to contract voting. The MRC can put you in touch with your chapter leaders.

• JUNE 10: The Tentative Agreement (T.A.) will be sent out digitally to all members. The Fact Finders report will not be included with this email.
• JUNE 19: Fact Finder’s Report deadline.
• JUNE 21: Fact Finder’s Report sent to all members.
• JUNE 24: Zoom webinar road shows start at noon. Voting starts this day.
• June 24: Chapter contract voting can commence this day following the end of the first road show (approximately 1 p.m.).
• July 5: Voting deadline (all votes due from chapters to OCSEA by noon)            
• JULY 11: Current contract extended to this date.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) will hold a field hearing in Columbus on June 7 to discuss the Social Security Fairness Act. The bipartisan legislation would eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which significantly reduce Social Security benefits for more than 240,000 Ohioans who split their careers between the public and private sector, including members of OCSEA.

 

WEP can reduce Social Security benefits for public employees by up to 55% while GPO cuts benefits for spouses and widow(er)s. These so-called Social Security offsets disproportionately harm middle-class retirees and their survivors, especially women. Senator Brown introduced the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 597) with Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) and the legislation has both Republican and Democrat cosponsors.

 

This is a problem that not only affects current retirees but also future retirees for OCSEA and other public employee unions. Send a message to members of Congress that you won’t stand for cuts to Social Security anymore by clicking HERE. 

Open Enrollment for your premium-free dental, vision and basic life insurance for the 2024-2025 plan year runs Thursday, May 16, 2024, through Wednesday May 29, 2024. These benefits are provided through your union-negotiated Union Benefits Trust (UBT). Please use the 2024 UBT Enrollment Guide (PDF) to walk you through the process!