OHIO CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION
UNION NEWS / DECEMBER 5, 2024

OCSEA's 12 Days of Christmas, the annual holiday celebration of OCSEA members, kicked off on Monday and will continue with raffle drawings every day through next Friday, December 13. This festive 12 days of raffle prize drawings is the perfect way to say THANK YOU to our active union members this holiday season. As public employees, you give so much of yourselves to Ohio and throughout our communities! We say thank you this holiday season, and will will continue to fight to protect and support you and the public services you provide all year long.

OCSEA's 12 Days of Christmas
December 2 - December 13

One raffle prize per day will be awarded to one active OCSEA member starting Monday, December 2 and each day for the 11 days that follow through Friday, December 13.

No entry is necessary. You only have to be an active OCSEA member in good-standing to be entered. If you’re an active OCSEA member (any state or local government member), you will be automatically entered into the daily drawings.

Daily winners will be contacted at the phone number and email on file with the union. The winners will also be announced on the OCSEA website at OCSEA.org/12DaysofChristmas.

The December 2024 Union Bulletin Board Network (UBBN) flyers are here and available for download at OCSEA.org/UBBN. The flyers include a holiday message from the union, information on your annual education benefits, scholarship opportunities, and holiday deals. Check back each month for new flyers to share. 

Don't have an onsite bulletin board? The virtual bulletin board network at OCSEA.org/UBBN gives OCSEA members access to union flyers with a click of a button. This includes quick access to OCSEA bargaining news, events, discounts and more. Chapters who don't have boards are urged to email the flyers or UBBN link to their members and distribute at meetings. Any chapter that needs assistance with printing fliers should contact the OCSEA mailroom at 614-865-4733.

This month's virtual fliers include:

• Happy Holidays from OCSEA!
• Union Education Trust: Give yourself the gift of education
• Holiday EXTRAS member-only deals
• OCSEA and AFSCME Scholarship opportunities
• Working Advantage December deals

Have an AMAZING union bulletin board you want to share? Email photos to communications@ocsea.org.

The members of Ohio Veterans Home (OVH) Chapter 800 in Georgetown help Ohio's Veterans during the day and still find time to help Veterans during the holidays. Pictured left, Chapter 800 activists, members Kim Walker and Amy Young, President Jeff Condo, and E-board member Karma Aaron, gather food for the Brown County Veterans office.

With only about a dozen session days remaining, time is running short for the U.S. Senate to vote on the Social Security Fairness Act and repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). The bipartisan legislation that would restore Social Security benefits for government workers including members of OCSEA passed the House of Representatives last month by a wide margin. But the Social Security Fairness Act has not been scheduled for a vote yet in the Senate despite having the support of more than 60 members. This week Republican Senator Bill Cassidy gave a speech in the Senate calling for a vote before Congress adjourns. “We have serious legislation that would help millions of Americans waiting for a vote,” Cassidy said. “We can repeal two unfair provisions if the Majority Leader schedules a vote.” 

Now is the time to raise your voice if you feel the same way! Join the effort to restore Social Security benefits for public employees by CALLING or WRITING a Senator ASAP.

More than 270,000 Ohioans, including members of OCSEA, don’t receive the Social Security benefits they deserve because of WEP and GPO. 

In a brand-new AFSCME Union 411 installment, the union explores the six essential roles that stewards play in building and strengthening local unions. If you have ever wondered what stewards do and how to help them, this Union 411 video is especially for you! The Union 411 series explains union basics and how to build strong local unions. Each video highlights a specific topic, like your right to form a union and what is in your union contract. Learn more HERE.