OHIO CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION
UNION NEWS / February 13, 2025

OCSEA continues to pursue all options to support members who will be impacted by Gov. DeWine's Executive Order on return to office for state employees. As a result, OCSEA has filed a statewide grievance on behalf of impacted members. The union grievance calls on the State of Ohio to rescind the unilaterally implemented telework policy changes and restore the previous telework policy until proper negotiations with the Union are completed.

 

The grievance states that the State of Ohio (employer) has violated Article 13.17 of the OCSEA collective bargaining agreement by unilaterally implementing changes to the telework policy without bargaining with the Union. The CBA recognizes telework as a negotiable issue, meaning management does not have the unilateral authority to eliminate or modify telework without engaging in collective bargaining with the Union. By failing to negotiate, the Employer has disregarded its contractual obligations and undermined the collective bargaining process.

 

OCSEA has also filed a "Demand to Impact Bargain" and information requests concerning the Governor’s stated goal to return state workers to the office. The Union will be issuing similar requests for information to all affected agencies directly. Union teams in every agency are working diligently to collect agency-specific return-to-office plans and policies and gather all information that could assist with impact bargaining. Impact bargaining takes place to negotiate the effects of changes to the management-union relationship, particularly mid-contract.

 

The statewide grievance also states that the unilateral changes have negatively impacted employees’ working conditions, creating undue hardship without proper discussion or agreement with the Union. The Union continues to raise concerns about the serious impact that forced return-to-office could have on families, public employee retention and recruitment, taxpayer dollars and the overall economy.

 

“There’s no question that ordering our members back to the office will cost taxpayers more money because the state doesn’t have enough office space,” said OCSEA President Chris Mabe. That point was made abundantly clear this week when ODJFS managers wrote staff that there’s currently not enough space to house its employees in offices five days a week. “Why waste tax dollars on buying buildings and signing leases when our members have proven they can do their jobs, and do them well, through telework,” President Mabe said.

 

If you have information related to telework, please contact your Staff Representative. You can get their contact information by emailing MRC@ocsea.org. 

“I love my job. I really like the work I do, and the people I work with, but my job has to fit with my life,” said OCSEA Chapter 2528 activist Katharine Schleich, an Environmental Specialist 2 with the Ohio EPA. She is concerned that a lack of flexibility with the elimination of remote work for state workers will seriously impact recruitment and retention across the board and will only hurt working families.

 

Katharine has worked in the Ohio EPA’s Division of Environmental Response and Revitalization for just over 3 years and has only known hybrid work. She currently works in downtown Columbus two days a week and from her home office three days a week. She moved back home to Ohio from Illinois to be closer to family. Her former job in the state of Illinois was fully remote.

 

Katharine says one of her biggest concerns is the lack of flexibility that makes sure that her customers’ needs are met while also focusing on herself and her family. “For example, if I have a doctor’s appointment, and I’m working downtown, I might have to take the whole day off. That impacts time and work I could be setting aside for my customers,” said Katharine. “With more remote options and flexibility, I could easily get back to serving my customers so much quicker,” she says.

Katharine Schleich, Chapter 2528 Secretary and an Environmental Specialist 2 with the Ohio EPA.

 

Katharine is a geologist by trade who loves the work she does to protect Ohio from hazardous waste.

Katharine says that on her hybrid days, where she commutes to downtown Columbus, she has chosen to take the city bus because parking, if available at all, is “outrageously expensive” or has a waitlist. She says, even if she drove her car, the commitment to her workday would be 10 plus hours a day. She says inflated parking prices, especially in bigger cities, only adds to the burden.

 

Without flexibility, Ohio is going to lose a lot of good people, says Katharine.

 

A recent article in the Columbus Free Press, Mandated Office Comeback Will Crash Ohio State Workforce, reiterates this point.

 

“DeWine’s decree reverses years of incremental progress,” writes the author and remote work expert Dr. Gleb Tsipursky. “These flexible work options allowed employees to balance professional and personal responsibilities more effectively, leading to increased job satisfaction and higher productivity...A forced return to full-time in-person work will erode employee morale, precipitate a wave of resignations, and ultimately undermine the efficiency gains the policy aims to secure,” said Dr. Tsiprsky. 

 

Katharine agrees that having flexibility is key to balance in her life. “My husband and I want to start a family, but now we have to factor in so many elements that will make starting a family even harder,” says Katharine. The thought of spending so much additional time away from her family is a depleting thought, she says. 

 

Katharine is a geologist by trade. She works to monitor and track the management and disposal of hazardous waste removal under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). She is just one of many thousands of Ohio civil servants who have dedicated their careers to making sure Ohio is the very best. It is a dedication to public service and the betterment of all citizens that drive OCSEA members like Katharine.

 

Want to tell your Public Employee Story? Email communications@ocsea.org today.

 

“African Americans and Labor” was the theme for a Black History Month Celebration this week at Columbus city hall. City Council members handed out Poindexter Awards to longtime OCSEA activist Louella Day-Jeter and OAPSE/AFSCME Council 4 President Lois Carson. The Poindexter Award is named after James Preston Poindexter, the first African American Columbus City Council member, and it honors individuals for their accomplishments in the Columbus community.

Day-Jeter was recognized for leading the Columbus chapter of the Coalition of Back Trade Unionists and for supporting unionization efforts at the State Highway Patrol where she worked for 42 years. “I would just like to say thank you to everyone for coming out for this event and all you’ve done for CBTU,” Louella said. As an OCSEA/AFSCME retiree member activist, Louella continues to serve union members as an Executive Board member of Public Safety Chapter 2505 and OCSEA District Council 6 and Treasurer of the OCSEA Public Safety Assembly.

Besides serving as President of OAPSE, Lois Carson is also a vice president of the Ohio AFL-CIO and member of CBTU and the NAACP. She previously led the Columbus School Employees Association (CSEA). Speaking to union members in the audience, Carson said, “Keep the fight alive, keep the dream alive, because we will continue to protect our sisters and brothers on the front line.”

City Council also gave awards to Curtis Moody, Brian Brooks and Rhonda Johnson, the former president of the Columbus Education Association.

OCSEA retiree activist Louella Jeter and OAPSE/AFSCME Council 4 President Lois Carson are honored with a Columbus City Council Poindexter Award.

"African Americans and Labor” was the theme for a Black History Month Celebration this week at Columbus city hall, which honored Columbus union activists.

CC: OCSEA Board and Staff

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