OHIO CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION
UNION NEWS / April 24, 2025

It’s almost time for the annual enrollment period for dental, vision and life insurance benefits through Union Benefits Trust. These benefits are offered at no cost to you as one of the many perks of union membership! You can enroll online at myohio.gov beginning Thursday, May 8 and ending Wednesday, May 21. You soon will receive an enrollment guide in the mail, or you can download a copy here.

 

Members with one year of continuous state service are eligible for dental and vision coverage plus basic life insurance. If you’re not making any changes to your coverage or dependents you do not need to enroll again, but it’s a good idea to check your benefits at myohio.gov to make sure you have what you need. This is also a good time to check your beneficiaries.

 

Thanks to a change that took effect July 1, 2024, unmarried dependents up to the age of 26 are eligible for dental and vision benefits. Dependents must meet eligibility requirements.

(This corrects an earlier version.)

Download 2025 UBT Open Enrollment Guide

The OCSEA Women's Action Committee is honored to welcome Dr. Amy Acton to the annual women's conference. The annual conference will take place May 2-3, 2025, at the Hilton Garden Inn, Perrysburg, Ohio. The registration deadline has been extended to Monday, April 28 at 4:00 PM. See how to register and get the full agenda at OCSEA.org/WAC. 

 

Amy Leigh Acton MD, MPH is an American physician and public-health researcher who served as the director of the Ohio Dept. of Health from 2019 to 2020.

 

Dr. Acton became a household name in the state in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and is running for governor.

 

"I'm running for Governor because I refuse to look away from Ohioans who are struggling, and it’s time to give power back to the people and our communities," Acton wrote of her campaign.

 

The former Ohio Health Director will join other WAC guest speakers: Ohio State Representative Erika White and Pastor Barbara Jackson.

Register for WAC Conference

Dr. Amy Acton, candidate for Ohio governor, will headline the OCSEA WAC Conference in May.

EACH DAY, more than 340 workers are killed and more than 6,000 suffer injury and illness because of dangerous working conditions that are preventable. This Worker's Memorial Day, coming up on Monday, April 28, the AFL-CIO is leading the way with this year's theme: Fight For Our Lives!

 

Join is at 10 AM on Monday, April 28, for a moment of silence to remember and honor those we lost in 2024. This includes ODOT's Marty Crane, who was killed while doing roadside work last June, and Officer Andrew Lansing, who was murdered by an inmate at Ross Correctional on Christmas Day. 

 

As we grieve those we have lost from unsafe working conditions, including public employees right here in Ohio, we must fight to protect our right to a safe job. The AFL-CIO is calling for the following: 

• Defending hard-won safety and health protections and workers’ rights from attacks.
• Opposing cuts in job safety staff and funding.
• Demanding strong enforcement of all job safety laws.
• Holding our elected leaders accountable for any actions that weaken workers’ right to a safe job.
• Winning new protections against heat illness, workplace violence, silica exposure in mining, infectious diseases, exposure to asbestos and other toxic chemicals, and other preventable hazardous exposures.
• Guaranteeing all workers have a voice on the job to raise safety concerns and the right to freely form a union without employer interference or intimidation.
• AND Passing the Protecting America’s Workers Act (PAWA) to provide OSHA protection to the millions of workers without it, stronger criminal and civil penalties for companies that violate job safety and health laws, and improved anti-retaliation protections.

Click here to learn more about Worker's Memorial Day and get a toolkit to help honor those who have died on the job.

Calling all members, spouses, and dependents who are enrolled in college classes this fall: This is your LAST CHANCE to submit your Scholarship application materials! All materials must be submitted and postmarked no later than APRIL 30, 2025. Get your application at OCSEA.org/LesBest.

The OCSEA Steward Conference will be held Saturday, June 7, 2025 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. 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 the blue button below for the direct registration link.

 

Additionally, there will be two union trainings taking place Friday evening at the hotel before the main event. Register soon before spots fill up. 

REGISTER FOR
STEWARD CONFERENCE