Profile photo upload now available for MyOCSEA accounts
We wanted to let OCSEA leaders know about an exciting new update to the MyOCSEA account profile page. Active members will now have the option to upload or take their own photos for their MyOCSEA profile. These photos will also be used for OCSEA ID badges at events, including Convention. You can also edit/upload a new profile picture to update your current profile photo.
Get instructions HERE. You can access your MyOCSEA profile and update or add your picture by logging in at OCSEA.org/sign-in. If you or an active member of your chapter has never created a MyOCSEA account before, an account can be created HERE.
Members can also update their personal information, including personal email addresses, at their profile page.
Union Night at the Columbus Clippers is July 29
You're invited to Organized Labor Night at the Columbus Clippers on July 29. The Clippers versus the Omaha Storm Chasers game starts at 7:05 p.m. at Huntington Park in Columbus.
Celebrate being union by taking the whole family to the ballgame at an extremely discounted rate. Tickets are as low as $3.33 per person for a family of 6 (2 adults and 4 children). Single adult tickets are only $10. Single youth tickets are only $8. Want just a night out with friends? There is also an adult ticket deal. Tickets for a group of four adults are $5 per ticket. If you are ordering for a group larger than 6, please call 614-462-2757.
Union members who purchase tickets through this promotion are also invited to the Central Ohio Labor Council pre-game party from 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m., including special priced concessions. Enjoy discounted food and beverages at the Sandwiches On Deck concession stand in the right field before the start of the game!
For the pre-game event, enter the centerfield or left field entrance. There will be a Central Ohio Labor Council prize table where you will be able to enter to win Kroger gift cards that will be awarded throughout the 7th Inning.
Stick around until the end as there will also be fireworks following the game.
Dayton "No on Issue 1" Urgent Community Meeting is tomorrow night
Calling all union members in Dayton and surrounding areas! Attend tomorrow's No on Issue 1 Community Meeting in Dayton to learn why we need to vote No on Issue 1 on August 8 to protect majority rule and preserve the sacred principle of One person, One vote. There will be food provided as well as free swag, including yard signs and shirts.
The Dayton No on Issue 1 Community Meeting will be held tomorrow, Thursday, July 13 at 5:30 PM. at the Dayton AFL-CIO Headquarters, 6550 Poe Ave, Dayton, OH. We hope you will join us! The August Special Election is quickly approaching. We must get the word out about this unexpected summer election and stop the power grab by state legislative leaders and special interests. Let’s make some noise! Learn more about why unions are saying No on Issue 1 at UnionStrongOhio.com.
More upcoming No on Issue 1 Urgent Community Meetings
After Dayton, there are THREE MORE important No on Issue 1 Urgent Community Meetings scheduled. If you live in these areas, mark your calendars to attend and share the flyers below with other concerned union members, family and friends.
Youngstown Community meeting: Thursday, July 20 | Download Flyer | RSVP
Toledo Community Meeting: Thursday, July 27 | Download Flyer | RSVP
Columbus Community Meeting: Thursday, August 3 | Download Flyer | RSVP
Early Voting kicked off this week. Vote now to defeat Issue 1
Early voting for the Ohio August 8 Special Election officially kicked off this week—and we’re urging you to vote early if you're able. You can vote at the Early Vote location in your county or through the mail via absentee ballot.
EARLY IN-PERSON VOTING HOURS FOR JULY & AUGUST:
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July 11-14: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- July 17-21: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- July 24-28: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- July 31: 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
- August 1: 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
- August 2-4: 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
- August 5: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (weekend voting)
- August 6: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. (weekend voting)
Please note, there are no weekend voting dates until the final weekend before the special election, August 5-6.
Join us for "No on Issue 1" lunchtime postcard drives at OCSEA
If you are an OCSEA activist in the Westerville area during lunch, please join us July 13 (tomorrow), 18, 19 & 20 for postcard parties to turn out the vote for No on Issue 1. Postcard lunches will be held from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the OCSEA Union Hall. Your OCSEA union hall is located at 390 Worthington Road, Westerville, Ohio 43082.
Postcards are already pre-stamped and pre-addressed. We’ll be writing messages to Ohio union members about why we are voting NO on Issue 1. Please RSVP what day(s) you can come to UnionYes@OCSEA.org.
Can't attend an event but still want to help out with postcards? Contact us at UnionYes@ocsea.org about post card pick up options and mailing instructions.
Celebrating 40 years of Ohio collective bargaining
This month, we continue to celebrate 40 years of Ohio Collective Bargaining. The law, giving Ohio's public union members the legal right to sit down and negotiate the terms of their employment, was signed into law by Governor Richard Celeste on July 6, 1983. Since then, union members have been fighting to build and protect their union contracts. This includes the rights of OCSEA members to bargain wages, health care, leaves, safety on the job, longevity, overtime, pick-a-post and so much more.
OCSEA retiree, activist and former OCSEA/ODOT Assembly President Willa O'Neill describes below what collective bargaining––and a real union voice––meant for her in ODOT after being hired just after the first OCSEA state contract was negotiated. In the Ohio Dept. of Transportation, specifically, getting hired and fired was often tied to who you knew and the politics with which you aligned yourself. A union gave security to many employees during the change of the guard, so to speak, says Willa.
"I began working at ODOT in 1986, shortly after OCSEA had been voted in to represent the bargaining unit. For the first time, Union employees did not have to fear termination with each political change," said Willa. "Old management styles still existed, but with the support of OCSEA, leaders were trained and learned how to have a voice in how they were treated. The Union brought dignity to the workers."
For OCSEA retiree, activist and former OCSEA/ODOT Assembly President Willa O'Neill, having a union for her 30 plus year State career meant dignity, security and a real voice on the job.
Support Columbus Museum of Art union rally on Saturday
Our AFSCME Council 8 brothers and sisters at the Columbus Museum of Art need our support! Columbus Museum of Art Workers United is currently engaged in contract negotiations and will hold a Solidarity Rally and March this Saturday, July 15. Come help them fight for the dignity, respect and voice on the job they deserve.
The event will be held from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Thurber Park, 58 Jefferson Ave., Columbus OH 43215.