Fact Finder Tom Nowell has announced that he will issue the Fact Finder’s “Report and Recommendations” for the State of Ohio Contract by Wednesday, June 19. The fact-finding process does not conclude until the Fact Finder has issued his report. OCSEA chapters will have until Friday, July 5 at noon to vote on the Tentative Agreement and the Fact Finder’s Report.

 

OCSEA will release a booklet of the Fact Finder’s Report over email to all active union members on Friday, June 21. This will be sent to personal emails on file with the Union. Following the release, OCSEA will hold two virtual Roadshows over Zoom on Monday, June 24 at noon and 7 p.m. to discuss the report directly with members. Links for the Zooms will be sent through email and posted on the OCSEA website.

 

Once the first OCSEA Roadshow has ended, union leaders will hold in-person contract voting events for their chapter members. Only active, dues-paying members can vote. The times and locations for chapter voting will be posted on the OCSEA website.

 

The OCSEA Tentative Agreement (TA), including any updated contract language that did not go before the Fact Finder, will be distributed to active members on Monday, June 10 via email.

 

The Union made a request to extend the current contract until July 11, 2024 to allow enough time for ratification of a new contract and the state agreed to the extension.

As was previously reported, a Fact-Finding hearing was held over multiple days in mid March, bringing the union and state team’s together in front of Fact Finder Tom Nowell.

 

During the hearing, management and the union presented their case regarding the contract articles still open. Following the hearing, the parties prepared written briefs laying out their arguments, including any exhibits, data, documents and witness statements.

 

Using those written briefs and oral arguments, the Fact Finder is currently considering all the evidence and will prepare a written “Report and Recommendation.”

JUNE 10: The Tentative Agreement (T.A.) will be sent out digitally to all members. The Fact Finders report will not be included with this email.

 

JUNE 19: Fact Finder’s Report deadline.

 

JUNE 21: Fact Finder’s Report sent to all members.

 

JUNE 24: Zoom webinar roadshows start at noon. Voting starts this day (voting cannot begin prior to first roadshow.)

 

July 5: Voting Deadline (all votes due to OCSEA by noon)            

 

JULY 11: Current contract extended to this date.

The annual Women's Action Committee (WAC) and Minority and Community Committee (CMCA) Conference was held this past weekend. The joint conference was held in Sandusky, Ohio and was attended by nearly 300 OCSEA activists.

 

The Committees came together to build solidarity and diversity, not only in public service but through union activism. The event was co-chaired by OCSEA activists Annie Pleasant-Combs (WAC) and Sherry Little (CMCA). 

 

"Breaking barriers together, let's embrace unity and shed the us "vs" them mindset. It's time to weave a tapestry of togetherness!" WAC Committee member Mercedes Hare said, reciting an article from Living World Chapel, a faith-based, positivity-centered organization. Diversity, unity, mental health and faith were at the center of the conference's messages.

 

In addition to networking and union building, attendees got the chance to hear guest speakers Dr. Audra Martin, a clinical and social services expert; Jamie Trout, a Zanesville faith leader and community service advocate; and André Washington, our great friend in labor from our sister union OAPSE who also represents the A. Philip Randolph Labor Institute and the Ohio NAACP. Attendees also received a contract update from President Chris Mabe. Download Dr. Audra Martin's presentation "Community Champions, the Fabric of Our Lives."

 

Additionally, all attendees and their families viewed a screening of the film “At the River I Stand.”  This important film documents the two months leading to Martin Luther King, Jr’s death in 1968, coinciding with the 65 day strike of 1,300 Memphis sanitation workers belonging to AFSCME Local 1733.

 

Attendees also helped raise over $1,000 for Kathy's Creature Comforts, a labor of love for OCSEA Secretary-Treasurer Kathy Gerpser. The program purchases stuffed animals for children residing in Ohio domestic violence shelters. Funds were raised through a basket raffle and donations.

 

"A single hug from a very special stuffed toy can make all the difference in a young child's life, especially when they are facing tough obstacles and uncertainty," said Kathy.

See the event photo gallery HERE.

To honor National Correctional Officers Week, which is May 5-11,OCSEA and AFSCME are bringing attention to the challenges that corrections workers face.

 

“During the early mornings, late nights and all hours in between, corrections officers and employees work to keep our communities safe,” said AFSCME Lee Saunders in a statement.

 

“As a former corrections officer myself, I appreciate the dedication and professionalism of my union brothers and sisters every single day of the year,” said OCSEA President Chris Mabe, who serves as a Sergeant at the Lorain Correctional Institution. “It’s important that we designate this special week to call more attention to the dangerous and highly demanding work our COs do to keep Ohioans safe. They deserve our unwavering support and respect.”

 

“It is physically and mentally demanding work, and they deserve respect," said Saunders. "Widespread staffing shortages are pushing corrections officers and employees to the breaking point and putting them in grave danger,” said Saunders

 

There is is no better time than Correctional Officers Week to shine a spotlight on the crucial work that corrections professionals do and provide them the tools they need to succeed. Read more.

House Bill 160, the harmful dental bill that OCSEA has been fighting for more than a decade, was voted out of the House Insurance Committee on Wednesday. This is the latest chapter in the relentless effort by dentists and their lobbyists to raise the cost of dental care for Ohioans.

 

HB 160 would stop dental insurance providers, such as Delta Dental, from negotiating lower fees for non-covered services for their members, including OCSEA members. It would give dentists the ability to charge whatever they want for non-covered services which jeopardizes patient care and imposes more financial burdens.

 

Thank you to all the members and activists who answered our call to action and called state legislators urging them to vote against this bill. Fortunately, the fight is not over. The legislation still must pass the House of Representatives before it goes to the Ohio Senate for additional hearings. There will be more opportunities in the coming weeks to make our voices heard to stop HB 160.