News

Your union newsletter August 30, 2024!

Posted Aug. 30, 2024 by

OHIO CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION
UNION NEWS / AUGUST 30, 2024

 

Presidents Conference deadline extended

Chapter leaders! The deadline for the upcoming President's Conference has been extended to Friday, Sept. 6. Registration forms (one per attending delegate) should be returned to OCSEA Central Office by the deadline.

 

Return forms to:

OCSEA AFSCME Local 11

Attention: Theresa Smith

390 Worthington Road, Westerville, OH 43082 OR via email: tsmith@ocsea.org or fax: 614-865-4030

2024 OCSEA President's Conference
Saturday, September 14, 2024 | 10 A.M.

Nationwide Hotel & Conference Center,
100 Green Meadows Dr S,
Lewis Center, OH 43035

 

Labor Day: Celebrating union workers and union support!

Public support for unions has increased, nearing all-time highs

When union members come together on Labor Day, it's about more than barbecues and parades. We say this every year! Labor Day, a celebration of union members and workers, is about showing the power we all can have to make a difference on the job.

 

Labor Day is a celebration of the hard work of union members across the USA who make our nation happen. Labor Day is a celebration of public union members––like YOU––and their families who give of themselves day in, day out to make Ohio the best it can be. This weekend we raise our glasses to every union member and hope you receive the celebration you deserve! 

 

A union voice makes a real impact  for public employees and the working class across this country. In many cases, being union is the last line of defense many workers have against greedy interests who will step on workers and their unions to get ahead. Thankfully, the public has our backs!

 

Life IS better in a union, and the majority of Americans agree! According to the Gallup annual Labor Day poll released this week, 70% of Americans said they approve of unions, per Gallup's most recent poll, conducted August 1-20. Additionally, the number of American who actually disapprove of unions fell to its lowest point since September 1967, which is really good news for workers who need public support in their organizing campaigns.

 

"It’s undeniable––Americans want the freedom to organize," said AFSCME President Lee Saunders about the poll. "With public support for unions near an all-time high, we know that a better future for all working families is within reach. And we’re ready to organize and mobilize to realize that future,” he said.

Click below to share the good news:

Life is better in a union.

Standing together with co-workers in a union makes a tangible difference in our life that we feel every day. Workers in labor unions make 18% more in wages than our nonunion counterparts. We are more likely to have health care benefits. We work in safer workplaces. We have more job security—especially in moments of economic crisis.

The future is better in a union.

Being in a union means building a better future for ourselves and our families, generations down the line. Young people know this—that’s why 88% of young workers under the age of 30 approve of unions. It means access to a good, sustainable job in the industries of the future. It means earning wages that help us afford a home and keep up with rising rents, and it means knowing that your retirement is secure.

 

Labor Day links:

 

Click below to download shareable Labor Day graphics:

 

Celebrate unions this Labor Day at the Great American Ball Park

The Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council and the Cincinnati Reds are excited to announce that the Historic Labor Day Celebration is back at Great American Ball Park this Labor Day. Join your union brothers and sisters for this celebration of labor on Monday, September 2nd as the Reds take on the Houston Astros!

 

Tickets are just $12 and include a pre-game "tailgate" in the Fan Zone from 12 PM to 4 PM. The gates open for those with tickets at noon. The event will include $3 beer, $2 hot dogs, and $1 ice cream throughout the duration of the pregame tailgate!

A celebration of Unions!
Labor Day at the Great American Ball Park

 

Monday, September 2 | Reds vs. Houston Astros

 

Pregame tailgate: Noon- 4 PM | Game: 4:10 PM

Tickets: $12 - View Level ticket
(includes $2 fundraiser for AFL-CIO)

 

$3 beer, $2 hot dogs & $1 ice cream
during pregame tailgate

 

Annual Team Up ODOT celebrates skill, innovation in transportation union members

Every year at Team Up ODOT, we are reminded about the innovation and skill that comes from our union brothers and sisters in transportation. This event is an opportunity for ODOT employees from across the state to exchange ideas on how to make their jobs safer and more efficient. OCSEA has been a proud partner in the event for 25 years. See the union's Team Up photo gallery. 

 

“You get to come down and see all the innovative ideas from all the other districts and meet all the other workers,” said Greg Rigsby, a Highway technician 4 and president of ODOT Chapter 2100 in Delaware. “They may have been through the same things that you’re going through, and they may have come up with solutions on what works and what doesn’t work,” said Greg.

One of those solutions on display at Team Up ODOT was a new tool to repair barrier cables in highway medians. It’s a time consuming and dangerous job but the staff at ODOT District 1 is now using a equipment originally designed for the forestry industry to replace cables much faster and safer according to Joel Nelson, an HT2 from Allen Chapter 200 who works in roadway services. “We were using excavators or mini backhoes and it did the job but after using this piece of equipment we never went back,” Joel said.

 

The statewide ODOT Directors Cup Roadeo was also held in conjunction with the event. ODOT Roadeos are more than just a fun tests of abilities; these equipment contests in plow truck and loader show our communities how truly skilled our union brothers and sisters are at the work they do. We know the VERY BEST are taking care of our roadways and more! 

 

Congrats to this year's 1st Place Director Cup Roadeo winners:

Truck: Sean Elliott (ODOT District 5) from Knox / Licking Chapter 4500 
Loader: Trenton Otworth (ODOT District 9) from Portsmouth Chapter 7310

 

The top three winners in each category received a trophy and check prize from their union OCSEA/ODOT Assembly. Watch this OCSEA video from the Roadeo as OCSEA brother Collin Thomas explains the Roadeo process. A member of ODOT Chapter 2513, Collin served as a judge in the loader competition.

Sean Elliott (ODOT Dist. 5), from Knox / Licking Chap. 4500, wins the Roadeo plow truck competition

Trenton Otworth (ODOT Dist. 9) from Portsmouth Chap. 7310, with ODOT Assembly President Sabrina Bell, is honored for winning the Roadeo loader competition.

 

Join Union Plus this Labor Day Monday and win big prizes!

This Labor Day, Union Plus wants to say "thank you" to union members in a BIG way during their Unions Power America Celebration this Labor Day Monday. Union Plus is closing out summer in a big way with $250,000 in prizes for union members, including a bucket list trip to England. 

 

Join Union Plus LIVE on Monday, September 2 at 6pm ET as it shines a light on all the union members that make us proud to be union! Oh, and there will be BIG prizes too. ⤵️

 

During the Unions Power America Celebration, Union Plus will reveal its summer contest, sweepstakes and "Union Moments" winners AND will give away prizes—on-the-spot—to live chat participants. Prizes include:

  • 2 Grand Prizes of $50K to bucket-list destinations
  • plus 64 more cash prizes totaling $150,000.
  • That's a grand total giveaway
    of $250,000!

Unions Power America Celebration

Monday, Sept. 2

6PM EST

Join LIVE at unionplus.org/laborday

Hosted by Union Plus (AFL-CIO)

$250,000 in prizes

 
 

Give back! Donate to the Combined Charitable Campaign