OHIO CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION
UNION NEWS / OCTOBER 2, 2024

The annual OCSEA Veterans Committee Conference will take place Nov. 1 & 2 at the Mohican State Park Lodge. Registration is open through October. 25. This is the union's annual celebration of its member veterans––and all veterans, past and present. All OCSEA members are invited to attend and celebrate our veterans. Learn more and get the registration form at OCSEA.org/veterans.

 

Know of an OCSEA veteran and/or an OCSEA Veteran Supporter who personifies true dedication and service to our veterans, our nation and our communities? Nominations are now being accepted for the OCSEA Veterans Awards!

 

The following awards will be announced at the November conference: The 2024 Veteran of the Year Award and The 2024 Veteran Supporter of the Year Award. Nominations are being taken through October 14. Visit OCSEA.org/veterans to download the nomination forms and nomination instructions. Nominations should be sent to Gina Ison at OCSEA.

OCSEA Veterans Committee Conference
November 1-2, 2024
Mohican State Park Lodge, 4700 Goon Rd,
Perrysville, Ohio 44864

REGISTER

With just over a month until Election Day, your union voting HQ, OCSEAVotes.org, is officially live! For nearly 15 years, OCSEAVotes.org has been an online tool to help OCSEA activists take part in the electoral process. It's also a major resource to remind us about why it's important to "vote" your public jobs and support labor-friendly candidates and issues that put public union members and their families first.

  

OCSEAVotes.org includes a list of union endorsements of labor-friendly candidates for the November 5 election. A MyOCSEA account is required to access endorsements.

 

During most election cycles, OCSEA and AFSCME endorse candidates and issues that support the mission of the union. This includes candidates and issues that support our right to collectively bargain, the value of public service and the public employees who provide those services, and a belief that unions build up workers across this nation with good wages, benefits, pensions and more. OCSEA endorses any candidate, no matter their party affiliation, who supports the core mission and values of the union.

Statewide OCSEA-endorsed candidates are either vetted by the union's nine regional OCSEA District Grassroots Committees (DGCs)––made up of OCSEA activists from those regions––OR are endorsed by the OCSEA Statewide Government Affairs Committee, an arm of the OCSEA Board of Directors. 

The OCSEAVotes.org site also offers an opportunity for members to Commit to Vote in the upcoming election and to make a voting plan. Members can also access tips on how they, as public employees, can still actively participate and make a difference in the electoral process despite being restricted under Ohio's Little Hatch Act. The site also includes important news and election deadlines. 

Get Ohio Voting Resources at VoteOhio.Gov.

• Request an absentee ballot: NOW THROUGH OCTOBER 29
• Deadline to register to vote/update registration: OCTOBER 7
• Early in-person voting begins: OCTOBER 8
• Absentee voting by mail begins: OCTOBER 8 THROUGH NOVEMBER 4
• Absentee post-marked deadline*: NOVEMBER 4
• General election (at polling place only): NOVEMBER 5, 6:30 A.M.-7:30 P.M.
  
  * According to the Ohio Secretary-of-State, absentee ballots may be returned by mail or personally delivered to your county board of elections.

Our hearts are with our AFSCME brothers and sisters throughout the south and southeast coastal areas and western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee impacted by the recent Hurricane Helene. While the full picture of devastation continues to emerge, and the needs of our AFSCME family members and their communities is still being determined, we are asking for your help! 

 

If you are able, we encourage you to give to the AFSCME Fallen Heroes Fund. This Fund provides relief and immediate assistance to AFSCME members who fall victim to natural disasters and other tragedies. Since its inception the fund has provided financial assistance to nearly 5,000 members. Go HERE to donate the to the AFSCME Fallen Heroes Fund.

• Prefer to donate by check? Please make your check payable to the “AFSCME Fallen Heroes Fund” and mail it c/o the fund at AFSCME, 1625 L St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-5687. 

See the links below for other donation options to assist the damaged communities in need:

• Western North Carolina
• Eastern Tennessee
• Florida
• Georgia

Union members in the impacted areas who are enrolled in a Union Plus benefits program may also be eligible for disaster relief.  Learn more about the Union Plus Disaster Relief Hardship Grant HERE.

Proud Union Home signs are here! Now it's even easier than ever to show your union pride in your neighborhood! The Proud Union Home yard signs were recently distributed to chapter leaders at the recent OCSEA President's Conference in September. Because the signs have been distributed throughout the state, the first step to obtain a sign should be to contact your chapter leaders or staff representative. If you are unable to obtain a sign on the local chapter level, call Deirdre O'Neill-Wedig at 614-865-2604 for further assistance.

We Are Ohio and Union Strong continues to hold Urgent Member Meetings throughout the state to bring together workers, labor leaders, good government advocates and supporters to raise awareness about Issue 1. Voting Yes on Ohio's Issue 1 would create fair districts and fair elections in the state by creating a 15-member Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission made up of Democratic, Republican, and Independent citizens who broadly represent the different geographic areas and demographics of the state. Learn more at CitizensNotPoliticians.org.

 

Click below to RSVP an upcoming meeting. This will help planners determine how much food and yard signs will need to be available at meeting. 

St. Clairsville: Thursday, October 3 | 11 AM

Steubenville: Thursday, October 3 | 2 PM

Cleveland: Tuesday, October 8 | 6:30 PM