OHIO CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION
UNION NEWS / March 12, 2025

In the most recent edition of the OCSEA magazine, the Public Employee Quarterly, we honored two U.S Veteran union members for their service to the union and to their communities. The union recently honored members Stephan Massey and Matt Keating with its Veteran of the Year Awards.

Stephan Massey is an Army Veteran (Logistics) and a union leader with Summit Behavioral Healthcare Chapter 3180. He is a Financial Analyst in the Mental Health and Addiction Services (MHAS) agency. Summit Behavioral Healthcare (SBH) is the Cincinnati-area public mental health and addiction services facility. 

Matt Keating, an Afghanistan Army Veteran, is a Correction Officer at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (SOCF) and is a member Chapter 7330. He was awarded a first-time combination award, Veteran of the Year and Supporter of the Year Award, due to his nominations and unique qualifications for both categories. 

Read more about these union Veterans in your union magazine mailed to your home last month or online at OCSEA.org/PEQ.

OCSEA Veteran of the Year: Stephan Massey, Army Veteran, Summit Behavioral Healthcare Chapter 3180

Watch Stephan Massey talk about what being a veteran means to him and how he helps give a voice to others.

OCSEA Veteran/Supporter of the Year: Matt Keating, Army Veteran, Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (SOCF) Chapter 7330

OCSEA Staff Representatives and chapter leaders continue to be actively engaged with state agencies through labor management meetings to work out policies regarding Return to Office that are fair and do not violate the union contract. If you have yet to receive any directive on RTO, particularly given the EO referenced March 17 deadline, contact your local union leadership or Staff Representative immediately for guidance.

Article 13.17 of the OCSEA Contract on telework/remote and hybrid work deems labor/management an appropriate avenue for pursuing addresses on matters related to RTO. The union agrees that this continues to be the best method for moving forward on this issue.

Throughout these labor/management meetings, the union has maintained its argument that the RTO executive order has resulted in a significant change to the terms and conditions of the employment of our members.  "For years, even before the covid pandemic, state employees have been working remotely with dedication and remarkable efficiency. We are determined to fight to uphold our collective bargaining agreement,” said OCSEA President Chris Mabe.

While the union is committed to work with agencies as they implement RTO policies, as has been the case to date, the union maintains a hardline that state agencies must adhere to the contract. This includes ensuring that individuals eligible for exemptions or exceptions to the policy should be provided with that benefit.

If labor/management conversations break down, the union will pursue alternative paths, including filing grievances, which it is prepared to do in all impacted agencies. Please note, all grievances, either by chapter leaders or individuals, should be filed through the OCSEA Staff Representative to ensure that the correct grievance process is being followed.

The union’s statewide class-action grievance on RTO, although denied by the State of Ohio in the first step, will continue through the grievance process per the collective bargaining agreement.

Additionally, union leaders at the Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services continue to pursue its agency-specific grievance, which is currently at Step 2 in the process. The Union argues that the agency's RTO policy is in violation of the ODJFS agency-specific agreement (Appendix Q) of the collective bargaining agreement because this policy was developed without forming a telework committee with the union.

Not sure, as an individual, whether or not not to file a grievance? Work with your local union leaders to see if the grievance process is right for your issue. Also, if labor/management discussions break down, chapters often to use the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) grievance process to find a resolution to problems.

OCSEA's Grievance Process:

• Step 1 – Discussions with immediate supervisor
• Step 2 – Discussions with agency head or designee (certain grievances, including layoffs or removals begin immediately at this step)
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) – Process by which the Union and the employer, assisted by a neutral mediator, seek to resolve grievances without resorting to arbitration.
• Arbitration - If either party believes that the grievance cannot be successfully mediated, such grievances can be moved from ADR to Arbitration, where a binding decision will be rendered by a third-party arbitrator.

OCSEA's annual Committee on Minority and Community Affairs (CMCA) Conference will take place the weekend of March 21-22 at The Renaissance Columbus Westerville-Polaris Hotel. Attendees will be joined by special guests Javan Reed and Derek Grosso.

Javan Reed is the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Simmons College of Kentucky. He is an adept community collaborator, educator, and skilled visual artist. Additionally, he is the founder of Fashion Forward Inc., a world-renowned fashion house.Javan's mission is to empower those with whom he connects to look past the immediate and forge new paths to successful living, both personally and professionally. Javan is a change agent who is unafraid to push the envelope and move the needle when it comes to the advancement of causes that matter. He is passionate about helping people find healthy perceptions of themselves so that they can create better social, economic, and educational opportunities for themselves and the community that supports them.

Derek Grosso is a seasoned entrepreneur, community-builder, and visionary leader dedicated to fostering collaboration and empowering membership-based organizations. As the founder and CEO of the Columbus Young Professionals (CYP) Club, established in 2005, Derek has grown the organization into the nation's largest association for young professionals, boasting over 20,000 members. Under his leadership, the CYP Club has transformed into a dynamic force for advancing careers, community, conversations, and culture across Ohio.

The deadline to register for the CMCA Conference is this Friday, March 14. Visit OCSEA.org/cmca for info on registration and to download the event agenda.

Javan Reed, VP of Academic Affairs, Simmons College of Kentucky

Derek Grosso, CEO, Columbus Young Professionals

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security announced its move to end collective bargaining for nearly 50,000 union Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport screeners, less than a year after the workforce inked a landmark labor agreement.

The DHS announced plans “ending collective bargaining” for TSA’s transportation screening officers in a press release on Friday, blaming safety, efficiency and "bureaucratic hurdles" on union workers.

AFGE National President Everett Kelley, in a statement following the union-busting announcement, called the move to end collective bargaining for TSO’s “clear retaliation” against the union. "Clearly, this action is a retaliation against AFGE, which has been out in front challenging this administration’s unlawful actions targeting federal workers, both in the legal courts and in the court of public opinion."

Kelley says this is "merely a pretext for attacking the rights of regular working Americans across the country because they happen to belong to a union.”

“47,000 Transportation Security Officers show up at over 400 airports across the country every single day to make sure our skies are safe for air travel. Many of them are veterans who went from serving their country in the armed forces to wearing a second uniform protecting the homeland and ensuring another terrorist attack like Sept. 11 never happens again,” Kelley added.  Kelley called the action a violation of these patriotic Americans’ right to join a union. He called this "the beginning, not the end," of the fight for Americans’ fundamental rights to join a union.

Tax Day will be here before we know it. But did you know OCSEA members get access to the Working Advantage tax prep discounts simply for being union. Visit the Working Advantage discounts and perks tax prep discount site HERE. Sign up for Working Advantage and all their discounts, from travel, to shoping, to movies and more. Use the Promo Code: OCSEAPERKS