Your union newsletter - June 3, 2026

Posted Jun. 3, 2026 by OCSEA

OHIO CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION
UNION NEWS / June 3, 2026

Amy Acton to speak to union members at annual OCSEA Steward Conference this Saturday

OCSEA- and AFSCME-endorsed Ohio gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Amy Acton, will join stewards and activists attending this Saturday's annual OCSEA Steward Conference. Acton is currently traveling every corner of the state to talk about the issues that impact Ohioans, especially the affordability crisis.

Acton has been sharing her plans to bring back good-paying jobs to Ohio’s communities, and how she will lower costs for working families. Her plan focuses on childcare, education, and property taxes. "But her biggest focus continues to be keeping prices down. She pointed to wanting a balanced budget, revisiting tax breaks, and giving families child tax credits,” reports WYTV Youngstown.

"Ninety-five percent of what I’m hearing from people, no one would disagree on. It isn’t partisan, and none of that 95% of things that affect our everyday lives, is what this Statehouse is working on, this corrupt and backwards Statehouse,” said Acton.

The annual OCSEA Steward Conference will take place this Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Columbus. The event, open to all members who registered by May 22, will be in-person at The Ohioan Hotel & Event Center located at 100 Green Meadows Drive South, Lewis Center, Ohio 43035. Pre-conference trainings, including a Get Out the Vote training, are being held on Friday evening starting at 6 p.m.

Additionally, attendees will hear from AFSCME President Lee Saunders and Mediator and Labor Relations professional Joe Trejo. Both are familiar faces to many seasoned stewards and activists. Saunders, always an electrifying speaker within the labor movement––and an OCSEA favorite––will talk about his union legacy as he prepares for retirement and discuss why members should get involved in Get Out the Vote efforts this fall and beyond.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to talk with our Discount College partners from Employee Benefit Systems (EBS) Union College Benefit and Edvance Union College Benefit. All dues-paying OCSEA members and retirees as well as their extended family members have access to discounted college rates. The programs cover a diverse range of discounted educational programs, including degrees and certifications at online colleges and universities nationwide.

Visit OCSEA.org/StewardConference to view the Steward Conference tentative agenda and get speaker bios.

LEARN MORE

Download the June Union Bulletin Board Network flyers

This month's Union Bulletin Board Network (UBBN) flyers are here and available for download at OCSEA.org/UBBN. Use these flyers for your worksite union bulletin boards for quick access to OCSEA news, events, discounts and more. Chapters should upload them monthly to keep the union news fresh!

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. Chapters that don't have boards are urged to email the flyers or UBBN link to their members monthly and distribute at chapter meetings. Any chapter that needs assistance with printing fliers should contact the OCSEA mailroom at 614-865-4733.

This month's virtual flyers include:

OCSEA Presidents Conference is July 18
UET Open Forum Online is June 23
Member-only discounts: Newport Aquarium Mermaids, African Safari Wildlife Park & Toledo Zoo and Aquarium KidsAPalooza
Pet insurance coverage discount now available to all members
Pride Month: AFL-CIO Pride at Work builds LGBTQIA+ worker power
Happy Juneteenth
Working Advantage: Hot June deals!

Register Now for CAMP 🏕️ UET!

Adventure awaits at UET’s next Open Forum Online!

Summer is the perfect time to continue your professional development. The Union Education Trust (UET) is here to assist you in achieving your goals, but you may have questions about how we can help. The UET Open Forum Online is the place to get those questions answered!

Please plan on attending this free online event to get your UET questions answered and gain new knowledge regarding utilization of your benefits. All OCSEA members are cordially invited to join the next quarterly UETOpen ForumOnline via Zoom on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 from 4:30pm-5:30pm.

So come in from the lake 🏊‍♀️, grab a cool treat 🍦, and log on to the UET Open Forum. Who knows, There might even be a campfire 🔥 singalong🎶!

The event schedule is as follows:

• 4:30pm – Introduction and Announcements

• 4:40pm – Online Application Demonstration

• 5:00pm – Open Forum Q&A

Growing a new generation of union leaders

Union activists from across the state gathered in Westerville over the weekend for the latest round of OCSEA Leadership Training. The trainings are an ongoing commitment by OCSEA to empower the next generation of leaders to grow our union and prepare for future challenges and opportunities.

Jason Carrico, steward for Chapter 2578 and a Correction Officer with ODRC’s Franklin Medical Center (FMC), says he attended the training to learn how to encourage his chapter members to get more involved and attend union meetings. Carrico says he enjoyed the session about emotional intelligence and how it can be used to communicate more effectively with all kinds of people. “I learned a lot from [the instructor]. He kept us involved,” Carrico said.

The dozens of members who attended the training also learned about the state contract bargaining process and engaged in team-building exercises and group discussions with members from different agencies and departments.

Angela Walls, a steward and Administrative 3 with the Ohio Dept. of Medicaid, represented ODJFS/Medicaid Chapter 2599 at the training. She says a discussion about Project 2025, which has led to layoffs of public sector workers and cuts to federal programs, made a strong impression on her. “That was scary. It will affect all of us––not only the union but the people that we represent,” Walls said.

Walls and Carrico agreed the November election, when Ohio voters pick a new Governor and many other elected officials, is not only important for our union but also the future of our state. “I think everybody needs to vote their job. I’m not going to say who to vote for. I know who I’m voting for. But just vote your job,” Carrico said.