Local chapter activists gather to build skills, grow union leadership
Nearly 50 local OCSEA chapter leaders from around the state gathered this past weekend to attend the first OCSEA Leadership Training. Building activism and strong leaders was on the agenda for the weekend-long event.
Attendees learned about the rules of the OCSEA Constitution, including guidelines for holding officer elections and appointing stewards; how to effectively chair a meeting; the steps for building a communication network that reaches and includes all members; how to manage chapter funds; holding a new employee orientation and more. Chapter leaders at the training also developed long-term plans that will help grow involvement and activism in their chapters on the local level.
This OCSEA Leadership Training was the first of several leadership trainings to come in 2023. With a large turnover of state employment during the last decade, the number of union leaders who are brand new to union activism is on the rise. For many new leaders, they are still learning the ropes of union leadership. The OCSEA Leadership Training will give new leaders and their mentors the tools they need to grow as leaders and build strong chapters. "Because when we have strong chapters, we have strong contracts," said OCSEA President Chris Mabe.
Expanded Maternity Care coverage for OCSEA members
OCSEA recently worked with state management to expand Maternity Care coverage for those enrolled in the Ohio Med PPO and the Ohio Med NN (narrow network) medical plans. Coverage is retroactive to July 1, 2022.
The plan will cover at 100 percent a number of prenatal, childbirth and post-childbirth services, including physician visits and exams, home health services, NICU claims for childbirth, and medications for conditions before and after childbirth, like morning sickness or postpartum depression.
To learn more, click on one of the links below:
Anthem Future Moms
The Medical Mutual Maternity App
The OCSEA Joint Health Care Committee is a joint labor/management committee that meets throughout the year to bring OCSEA bargaining unit members the best health care possible. This is just one way your union is working for you.
Reconnect with your union by getting involved in your local chapter
The best way to learn more about being union is to keep it local and get involved in your OCSEA chapter. OCSEA is a member-driven union, and by getting involved with your local union chapter, you and your union co-workers can make a real impact in your workplace and in your community.
Did you know every OCSEA member is assigned to a chapter? That's right! There are 133 OCSEA chapters, and every member is assigned a numbered chapter when they sign their union card (Example, Chapter 1000). Many chapters also have a chapter name along with that number, some of them (but not all) having to do with their work location (Example, Taxation Chapter 2595). Each chapter has elected officers, appointed stewards and other activists, all volunteers, that do the union work on the local level. By getting involved in your local chapter, you get access to information about issues that directly impact your workplace, and you get to work alongside other union members who know your workplace well and are making a real difference.
Ask your chapter leaders how you can attend an upcoming chapter meeting and how you can get more involved in the chapter. Not sure who to contact? Get in touch with the OCSEA Member Resource Center (MRC) at 888-OCSEA11 or MRC@ocsea.org to get assistance. Don't forget that state contract negotiations is coming up at the end of this year, and we'll need everyone's involvement to ensure we get a strong contract.
I belong to a conglomerate chapter and find it hard to get involved.
Your chapter may be a “conglomerate” chapter, which is made up of employees from many state agencies and work locations. Every chapter, whether pure (all the same agency) or conglomerate, has elected officers and at least one appointed steward. Get in touch with your chapter leaders and ask how you can attend a meeting and how you can get involved as a representative of your state agency.
With so many diverse issues and needs within conglomerate chapters, stewards—especially those with vast knowledge of their agencies—are needed now more than ever! Any members interested in learning more about the contract and how to become a conglomerate chapter steward should contact their chapter president about getting involved in the chapter and attending an upcoming steward training!
I telework and don't know how to get involved in my chapter.
For those who work from home and find it hard to get involved in your local union, we encourage you to reach out to your chapter leaders and ask for a schedule of upcoming chapter meetings. Try to attend meetings in person, if available, so that you can meet your chapter leaders and other chapter members who do similar work to you. Just because you work from home does not mean you have to go at it alone. Additionally, many chapter have online meeting options as well.
I've never had a union orientation.
Reach out to your chapter and ask how you can participate in a union orientation that tells you more about the benefits of being union and how to get involved. Many chapters offer new employee orientations (NEOs) for new hires. If you've never had a union orientation, request a meeting with chapter leaders to learn more. Or you can attend one of OCSEA's online NEO trainings that take place every other Thursday at noon by signing up HERE.
Does getting involved mean I have to be a union officer or steward?
No. Getting involved in your local union doesn't mean you have to run to be a union officer (president, vice president, secretary, treasurer or board member). It also doesn't mean you have to be a union steward or contract expert. Chapters need activists of all varieties who can help make their local chapter run well and represent all types of workers and jobs. Own your skills and talents and share them with your chapter as a way to get involved and be an important part of the local union movement. Attend meetings or reach out to your chapter leaders to see how you can get involved using your skills best.
Annual labor report details that union workers earn more than non-union workers
It pays to be in a union. Literally. U.S. workers who are members of labor unions make 18% more than their nonunion counterparts, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual report on union membership, published last week.
The report shows the median weekly earnings of full-time and salary workers who were union members in 2022 was $1,216, compared with $1,029 for nonunion workers. That’s nearly $10,000 more per year.
The union difference was even greater for women workers (23% more than their nonunion counterparts), African American workers (20% more) and Hispanic workers (35% more).
AFSCME President Lee Saunders said, “Year after year, the BLS report affirms that workers have power in a union. Now, with public approval of unions and the number of union petitions for representation surging to levels unseen in decades, it’s clear that workers also see the value of organizing a union.
Life is better in a union!
Learn more
Union Night with the Dropkick Murphys is March 13
The Ohio AFL-CIO will host a Union Night with the Dropkick Murphys on March 13. Join union members across Ohio at at Kemba Live in Columbus for an evening of union solidarity and celebration and great music by band that has made fighting for union rights a part of its brand.
The cost of tickets is $41 and includes admission to the concert as well as a pre-show union party. Contact the Ohio AFL-CIO to purchase tickets and ask any questions at info@ohioaflcio.org. Hurry, though, as this St. Patrick's Day week event is sure to sell out fast.