The State of Ohio has denied OCSEA's request to impact bargain the DeWine administration's recent Return to Office Executive Order. But the union says it is committed to holding the State of Ohio and agencies feet to the fire to ensure that the collective bargaining rights of its impacted members are not violated.
The union continues to stand behind its statewide grievance filed last week on behalf of its members that the State failed to negotiate with the union before making changes to telework policy, hence violating the collective bargaining agreement. 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 impact that forced return-to-work could have on families, public employee retention and recruitment, and taxpayers. One clear example is the $15 million per year savings on facilities as the result of remote work, as reported by the Columbus Dispatch several times over the past week.
The Union says agency level negotiations through committees made up of both union and management representatives will likely play a significant role. Currently Staff Representatives and union activists who serve on impacted agency statewide labor/management committees are busy at work making information requests, including for current telework polices, office and reporting locations, and data around productivity and cost-savings.
"Showing the benefits of remote work, for both workers and taxpayers, will be our strongest argument as we push to protect remote work at each agency," said OCSEA President Chris Mabe. "And it will take input from union leaders and members on every level, in every impacted agency, to ensure that we build a strong case with meaningful grievances and mutual agreements," he said.
Union leaders who work at the Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) filed a class action grievance this week stating that the agency released a policy without forming a telework committee, a violation of the ODJFS agency-specific agreement under Appendix Q of the union contract. The grievance demands that ODJFS cease and desist implementation of any changes to the current teleworking policy and remote work arrangements until the required teleworking committee is assembled and comes to a mutual agreement regarding any changes.
"As an Ohio taxpayer, I am frustrated that the state, after saving substantial funds for years through remote work, is now planning to shift resources to cover the unnecessary costs of returning employees to physical offices. This decision not only negatively impacts me and my family but also hurts Ohioans as a whole" said OCSEA member Jody Susman, an impacted ODJFS Unemployment Examiner 2 who lives in Ashtabula County. "The data will clearly show that productivity has increased, time away from work has decreased, and overall performance has improved with remote work," she said.
Impacted OCSEA members are encouraged to tell their remote work stories and how an abrupt return to office could cause upheaval to their lives, to their customers and to their local communities. Members can tell their stories HERE.