The OCSEA Steward Conference will be held Saturday, June 8, 2024 in Westerville. Register today and join OCSEA contract enforcers from all over the state for this important annual event. Every OCSEA steward and leader should plan to attend, either in person or on Zoom. Both options are available. The in-person event will take place at the Renaissance Columbus Westerville-Polaris Hotel located at 409 Altair Pkwy, Westerville, OH 43082.

Learn more about the event and register at OCSEA.org/StewardConference or click below for the direct registration link. On the registration page, please include whether you will be attending in person or online.

Additionally, there will be two union trainings taking place Friday evening before the main event. This will include a Basic Steward Training and an Advanced Steward Training. The in-person trainings are limited to 50 participants per training, so register soon before spots fill up. There will be no participant limit over Zoom and all OCSEA members are invited to attend the trainings and the conference. You can register for your training of choice when you register for the Steward Conference at the link below.

Overnight lodging for the conference will be held at the Renaissance Hotel at 490 Altair Parkway, Westerville, OH 43082. For those wanting to register for a room, the cost is $169 plus tax. The deadline to book a room at the conference rate is May 17, 2024. BOOK WITH HOTEL AT THIS LINK.

Just a reminder! The deadline to register for the OCSEA Women and Minority Affairs Committees Conference is next Friday, April 19. All conference registration forms and payment must be submitted to OCSEA Headquarters by the deadline.

The full line up of speakers for the conference has been announced. Special guests will include André Washington, our good friend and AFSCME and Ohio NAACP activist; Dr. Audra Martin, a leader in clinical and social services fields; and Jamie Trout, Executive Director for Eastside Community Ministry.

Download the registration form at the conference website: OCSEA.org/wac-cmca. You can read about the event speakers and see the event agenda at the conference website.

And don't forget that the deadline to book lodging at the OCSEA rate has been extended to Wednesday, April 17. Room reservations must be made directly through the Kalahari Resort and Conference Center. Mention the "OCSEA 2024 Conference" to receive the discounted rate of $229*. Contact the resort at 800-525-2427 or book online HERE. The rate will not be available after the April 17 deadline.

WHAT: WAC/CMCA Conference

WHEN: May 3-5, 2024

WHERE: Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in Sandusky

OCSEA.org/wac-cmca

André Washington

Dr. Audra Martin

Jamie Trout

Just a reminder to OCSEA leaders, activists and members that the Union and State are now working on written briefs in support of their bargaining proposals (or in opposition of the other side’s proposals) brought forward to Fact Finding. For public employees in Ohio, the Ohio Revised Code dictates that when the parties are at an impasse during contract negotiations, a third-party Fact Finder is brought in to decide outstanding issues.

A Fact-Finding hearing was already held over multiple days in front of Fact Finder Tom Nowell.

During the hearing, management and the union presented their cases regarding the contract articles still open (see the Bargaining Update). But even though the hearing is over, the Fact-Finding process does not conclude until the Fact Finder issues his/her report. And that could take some time.

Union and management have until April 26 to complete their written briefs and submit them to the Fact Finder. After that, the Fact Finder will consider all the evidence and write a written “Report and Recommendation.” There is no date yet regarding when the Fact Finder will issue his report but it could take several additional weeks.

Once the Fact Finder’s Report is issued, OCSEA union members will have 21 days to ratify the Tentative Agreement and the Fact Finder’s Report.

While it is likely to be many weeks before contract voting occurs, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Once the Fact Finder’s Report is issued, OCSEA and the union Bargaining Team will hold Online Roadshow Sessions via Zoom (in the interest of time) to talk about the Tentative Agreement, the Fact Finder’s Report and contract voting.
• The Tentative Agreement and the Fact Finder’s Report will be sent to members’ personal emails and be made available on the OCSEA website.
• Voting will be done in-person and will take place at the chapter level.
• Only OCSEA members can vote on the contract.
• It is up to the chapter to set up their voting schedules once the contract voting “window” is established.
• Ballots are not sent to members’ homes but are available through the chapter.

OCSEA members and their families get access to discounted tickets to Kings Island any operating day before September 2, 2024. Tickets are only $44 each when purchased online. Opening day for Kings Island in 2024 is April 20. Go to visitkingsisland.com/save and use the following login credentials to access the discount:

Username: KIAFSCME
Password: KINGSISLAND

Lauren Daigle's Kaleidoscope Tour is coming to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland on Thursday, May 30! Lauren Daigle is a contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter, and the fastest-selling new artist of her genre in the past decade. She is a two-time GRAMMY, seven-time Billboard Music Award and four-time American Music Award winner.

Click HERE to go to the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse Special Offers page. Scroll down to the Lauren Daigle Fieldhouse+ Offer and click "Find Tickets," and enter the code "OCSEA22" to be directed to the ticket-purchasing site.