OHIO CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION
UNION NEWS / APRIL 15, 2026

Registration for the 2026 OCSEA Steward Conference is now open! The conference will be held Saturday, June 6, 2026, in-person, at The Ohioan Hotel & Event Center (100 Green Meadows Drive South, Lewis Center, Ohio 43035). The deadline to register for the conference and optional trainings is Friday, May 22.

Get all the details at OCSEA.org/StewardConference.

The conference will provide union leaders and stewards with important networking opportunities and skill-building to be taken back and applied immediately at the chapter level. All members, not just leaders, are invited to attend, but stewards and chapter leaders are highly encouraged to attend this important contract enforcement and networking conference.

Conference check in, informational tables, and breakfast will be available from 8:30-10:00 a.m. on Saturday, with the main session beginning at 10 a.m. Two pre-conference trainings will take place the evening of Friday, June 5. This includes GOTV (Get Out The Vote) Training and Chat GPT Training. The trainings are in-person only and are limited to 70 participants each. You must register in advance to attend a Friday night training via the conference registration form.

Attendees should register for lodging as soon as possible as availability may be limited due to the Memorial Golf Tournament the same weekend, which could impact lodging throughout Columbus. Use OCSEA's Steward Conference Hotel Code as soon as you can to reserve your hotel room.

2026 OCSEA Steward Conference

Saturday, May 6

(with Friday evening trainings)

The Ohioan Hotel & Event Center

100 Green Meadows Drive South,

Lewis Center, Ohio 43035

As we reported last week, two more staff members were assaulted at the Indian River DYS facility in Massillon as chronic understaffing puts more and more lives at risk. Since then, OCSEA member Kim King has spoken out about her harrowing experience when she was knocked unconscious by a youth at the facility. King, a Staff Sergeant from the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (SOCF), was working overtime at the youth facility to assist with the chronic staff shortages.

"I was blindsided; I was knocked out. They said I was unconscious for about 30 seconds, and I don't know what took place from there," King said of the March 28 attack in Friday's Columbus Dispatch article. "I was told that it took response four minutes to get to me."

OCSEA President Mabe, who toured the facility this month, has also been speaking out publicly about the crisis in our youth prisons. "The escalating cycle of violence at Indian River is the result of mismanagement at the highest levels of the Dept. of Youth Services,” said OCSEA President Chris Mabe. “We need more staffing, a safer work environment and changes at the top of DYS. And we need it now.” Read last week's OCSEA story.

Workers Memorial Day is April 28, and elevating workplace safety and health issues is more important than ever. Each day, more than 380 workers across the nation are killed, and more than 8,600 suffer injury and illness because of dangerous working conditions that are preventable.

Stand up for safety and dignity at work and attend a Workers Memorial Day event near you, including an early commemoration event being held next Thursday, with Ohio Gubernatorial candidate and union supporter Dr. Amy Acton.

NEXT WEEK!

April 23 - Cincinnati Workers Memorial Event with Dr. Amy Acton

5:30-7 p.m. | Location: UAW Local 863, 10708 Reading Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45241 | RSVP

Click below for more events:

Another round of union graduates attended last weekend's third Leadership Training of the year. More than 40 local union leaders from across the state attended the three-day event in Columbus. The training has expanded this year to include not only chapter leaders but also union stewards.

The training covers a wide range of topics including the state budget, the nuts and bolts of running a successful chapter and recent attacks on public employee union members, particularly those who work for the federal government.

Get exclusive access to Cleveland Cavaliers Playoff deals starting this weekend. Includes ticket purchasing for Eastern Conference First Round Games 1 & 2 and Games 5 & 7 (if played) against the Toronto Raptors. Tickets start at $40 with no added taxes or fees! Click below for your member-only access link to buy tickets. Access Code: OCSEA22 Go CAVS!

Reminder! The annual OCSEA Women's Action Committee (WAC) Conference is taking place May 1-2, 2026, at Deer Creek Lodge and Conference Center in Mount Sterling, Ohio. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend. The deadline to register is April 27.

Learn about the event, how to register, and view the tentative agenda at OCSEA.org/WAC. Please note: the deadline to book lodging has passed. If you need lodging, you will have to make alternate arrangements.