Public Service Recognition Week
Celebrating union public service workers across Ohio
This week is the annual Public Service Recognition Week, and we're celebrating all the OCSEA public employees who make Ohio a better place. Public employees are our neighbors, our friends and family (including union family) who have dedicated their lives to public service and give of themselves for the betterment of all. That's what public service is about and why OCSEA members should always be celebrated for their selflessness and dedication.
This includes OCSEA sister Lisa Dalton-Sims, a Customer Service Assistant 2 for the Ohio Department of Medicaid. "What motivated me to be in public service was my knack with people. I’m the type of person who believes in the very best in people and giving back," said Lisa. She says, before coming to Medicaid, she worked as a manager in the private financial sector, running multiple offices. She says being in public service has made her feel like she's really making a difference.
This week is also National Correctional Officers Week and National Nurses Week, the perfect time to honor public employees who keep us safe and well. Thank you to our frontline union members for all you do. See more spotlights below.
National Correctional Officers Week
Celebrating union leaders in Corrections
It's National Correctional Officers Week, and we're so grateful for the OCSEA Correction Officers and all union prison staff across Ohio who have taken on some of the toughest jobs in the country.
Today we're spotlighting union leaders Sam Fero and Stephanie Behnke who are not only working hard as Correction Officers at the Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP) in Youngstown but are giving of their time to make sure that the voices of Ohio's public prison staff are heard.
Sam and Stephanie are elected union leaders of OSP Chapter 5041. Sam is president and Stephanie is vice president of the chapter. Both are Union Stewards, but Stephanie leads the contract enforcement charge as the chapter's Chief Steward.
Thank you to all the union leaders who are volunteering with their chapters to make a difference. It can be a thankless and trying job. In a time when prison staffing vacancies in Ohio's prisons are at an all-time high, having a union voice is critical to making sure that staff are not only heard but safe and not overwhelmed. It's the local boots-on-the ground union leaders like Stephanie and Sam who make sure members' concerns are heard.
National Nurses Week
Georgetown nurse takes pride in serving Veterans
It’s National Nurses Week and today we’re celebrating, Nickol Dick, a restorative nurse for the Ohio Veterans Home (OVH) in Georgetown, Ohio. Nickol works alongside the therapy department where she ensures that her veteran patients maintain their strength and mobility after an illness or injury.
She says she feels honored to be a nurse working with Ohio’s veterans. “I absolutely love the Veterans Home. I love the guys, both the camaraderie and the stories,” she said.
Nickol’s family has deep roots in military service. “My husband, my daughter, father, have all been in the service. We are a huge service family,” she said. In fact, her daughter is fifth-generation military, where she serves in the Navy.
Nickol also said she gets to serve some of the people she grew up with in Georgetown. “With this being my hometown, there are local people I’ve taken care of. It’s nice to be able to say thank you and help take care of them,” she said.
“I’ve worked in the civilian world where it’s a different ball game, I know. But here I love the environment and the pride of coming to work on Labor’s Day, Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day and to see 30 flags flying when I get to work. It can’t help but touch your heart. I’m lucky to be there. With this job I get to be a part of that and it’s wonderful,” she beamed.
We're thankful for Nickol and all our public nurses across Ohio. Thank you!!
Half off Zoombezi Bay member-only ticket deal is back through May 31
It may not be summer quite yet, but the OCSEA Extra summer deals are rolling in. Do NOT miss out on this amazing member-only deal: HALF OFF ZOOMBEZI BAY!!! This ticket deal is live HERE now through the end of the month with your OCSEA member-only login code.
That's right! Now through May 31, 2023, OCSEA members can get half off tickets to the Zoombezi Bay water park in northern Franklin County. That's $21 per ticket (limit 6). And don't forget, not only does your ticket grant you admission to Zoombezi Bay, but it also includes free access to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium during Zoo operating hours. Don't want to go to the water park? Check out the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium discount tickets at the button below too. There is a nearly $13 savings on adult general admission.
PLEASE NOTE: Half price tickets are VALID JUNE 1 THRU JUNE 30, 2023, only. Children under 3 are free. There is a limit of six (6) tickets per transaction.
Get tickets at OCSEA.org/Extras.
Steward Conference trainings filling up fast. RSVP now!
The OCSEA Steward Conference will take place on Saturday, June 3 in Columbus. This conference will also include two steward trainings THE NIGHT BEFORE the event. The in-person spots for the Advanced Steward Training is FULL but virtual spots are still available. The in-person Basic Steward Training is filling up fast, so sign up now before it's full. Sign up for the Conference and trainings HERE. Please note: Both trainings are also being held over Zoom, and there are no limits on participants for the virtual trainings. Please only sign up for one training as they are being held simultaneously. These trainings DO count toward steward certification.
More information:
- Advanced Steward Training • Friday, June 2 • 6-9 PM
Open to all members, but a previous basic steward course is required.
IN PERSON SPOTS ARE FULL - VIRTUAL SPOTS ONLY!.
- Basic Steward Training • Friday, June 2 • 6-9 PM
Open to all members.
IN PERSON SPOTS ARE ALMOST FULL. SIGN UP NOW!
- Location: Polaris Columbus Hilton, 8700 Lyra Dr, Columbus, OH 43240 (and on Zoom)
There are no attendee limits for the Zoom trainings. You can attend the training on Zoom and the Conference in person if you prefer. Just indicate how you plan to attend on your registration form.
Learn more and see the full conference agenda at OCSEA.org/StewardConference.
Union Benefits Trust Open Enrollment launches May 11; Get UBT benefits guide online
Thanks to the OCSEA members like you who have fought to build a strong union contract, union members are eligible for premium-free dental, vision and supplemental life insurance through the Union Benefits Trust (UBT). Open Enrollment for the union negotiated UBT starts Thursday May 11. This includes coverage from July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024.
Don't have any changes to make to dental, vision or life? You don’t have to do anything at all, but it's always important to double check to make sure your coverage is correct and up to date. This also includes checking that beneficiaries are current. Please note, OCSEA union members who are new to state service are not eligible for enrollment in UBT dental and vision benefits until the first of the month following their one-year hire anniversary date. However, new state employees who are union CAN enroll in the supplemental life insurance benefit and the legal service plan immediately upon being hired by the state.
Enroll or update your UBT benefits by May 24. Get all you need to know about Open Enrollment at benefitstrust.org. Or, check out the UBT Open Enrollment Guide HERE (look for it in your home mailbox too!).
Download the 2023 Union Benefits Trust (UBT) Open Enrollment Guide
Dental bill rears its ugly head again.
That's right, the General Assembly's dental bill is back. Despite pushing back on this harmful bill year after year, state legislators keep pushing the legislation that would raise costs on any Ohioan with dental insurance. This session, the dangerous dental legislation can be found in Senate Bill 115 and House Bill 160. It's time to push back again.
If passed, the dental bill would give dentists the freedom to charge Ohioans, including OCSEA members, whatever they want for non-covered dental services. Not only would it increase dental costs for OCSEA members and families covered under the Union Benefits Trust (your dental administrator), it would increase costs for EVERY Ohioan who has dental insurance. OCSEA and the UBT says it would prevent dental insurance providers, like Delta Dental, from negotiating lower fees for non-covered services. The UBT is adamantly opposed to the bill, has testified against similar bills in the past and will continue to speak out against this legislation.
Stay tuned here for updates and actions around protecting your dental benefits. If this moves forward into the House (which it likely will), we will be calling on legislators to vote NO in any capacity on this overreaching and costly legislation. Let's make sure it goes away for good, once and for all.
Help Stamp Out Hunger this Saturday
Help Stamp Out Hunger with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC). This week, gather non-perishable can goods and place them in or by your mailbox before your mail is delivered this Saturday, May 13. The donations are given directly to non-profit charity food agencies in the community the food is collected.
For more than 20 years, the NALC has conducted an annual nationwide food drive on the second Saturday in May. Using the unparalleled postal networks, letter carriers collect non-perishable food donations on that day as they deliver mail along their postal routes.