PUBLIC EMPLOYEE QUARTERLY - OCSEA

AFSCME LOCAL 11/AFL-CIO
PUBLIC EMPLOYEE QUARTERLY Volume 67, No. 2 • SPRING 2011

Repeal – Here we come!
S.B 5 will have its day at voting booth
On March 30, history
was made in Ohio!
Unfortunately, it
wasn’t the good kind. Instead,
the majority of the members
of the Ohio General Assembly
voted for the most punishing
and regressive anti-union, antimiddle
class, anti-public worker
bill this state has every seen.
“Senate Bill 5 literally sends
us back 30 years,” said OCSEA
President Eddie L. Parks.
But history will be made
again this November on Election
Day, as working-class Ohioans
rise up and stand up for what’s
right, according to President
Parks.
A coalition of labor unions,
called We Are Ohio and led by
OCSEA and other supporters,
is in the midst of one of the
biggest union rights fights in
Ohio history. The union plans
on repealing SB 5 by putting a
referendum on the Nov. 2011
ballot. The bill severely limits
Ohio’s public employees from
bargaining collectively and
much more.
“The fight is far from over.
We are in this game for the long
haul and the name of the game
is repeal,” said Parks.
The referendum process
The deadline to gather
231,149 registered Ohio voter
signatures to get the referendum
on the ballot is June 30.
Repeal SB 5 Timeline
April 1 – Gov. John Kasich files
signed SB 5 with SOS. Public
employee unions have 90 days to
certify and gather 231,149 signatures
needed to get the referendum
on 2011 ballot.
Citizen’s Veto defined
Referendum {ref-uh-ren-duh m}
A citizen’s veto, also called a referendum,
delays the effective date of a law or proposal
until the electors approve the language of a
law. In the case of SB 5, the citizens of Ohio
will be asked at the voting booth whether SB 5
should be approved or not. The answer: NO!
When sufficient signatures
are gathered and the referendum
is placed on the ballot,
Ohio voters will be given the
option to use their citizen’s veto
powers and repeal the bill.
The We Are Ohio coalition
filed the initial referendum
certification request with the
Secretary of State and Attorney
General on April 4, just days
after Kasich signed the bill. The
government officials had 10 days
to either certify or reject the
request. The request was certified
on April 15, allowing the
petition circulation process to
begin.
While only 1,000 signatures
were needed to certify the
request for referendum, there
were a total of 2,835 signatures
gathered. Of those, all but
300 were considered valid, an
unprecedented approval rate for
Ohio, said OCSEA attorney Kelly
Phillips. “The validity of the signatures
just shows you how serious
Ohioans are about getting
their chance to vote down SB 5
once and for all.”
April 4 – More than 3,000
signatures and ballot
language for SB 5
are submitted to Ohio
Secretary of State for
certification.
Members of BWC Chap. 2535 spend the day at the
Statehouse to oppose SB 5.
It’s anticipated that the
petitions will be ready for circulation
in late April. Training
on petition circulation has
already begun statewide. To
find a training near you, go to
OCSEAVotes.org.
The circulation of petitions
has come to be known as
the “People’s Petition Drive,”
because it’s being spearheaded
by average citizens all over the
state. “Voters want to veto this
unfair attack on employee rights
and worker safety,” said Phillips.
“This includes Republicans,
Democrats and Independents
who see how unfair this bill is
and how imbalanced the legislative
process was, despite major
opposition.”
April 9 – Referendum
campaign officially kicks
off at Statehouse rally.
Over 11,000 public
employees and supporters
attend.
In a recent press release, the
We Are Ohio coalition says it
expects to have thousands of
volunteer circulators, which is
unprecedented in Ohio history.
Ohioans are not only asking We
Are Ohio, “Where do I sign the
petition?” but “How do I circulate
a petition?” the coalition
said in the release.
“So far, the entire process
has been a smooth one. We
hope this is the case all the
way through November,” said
Phillips. “We just want the
people of Ohio to be able to
have a say one way or another
in regard to this legislation that
will impact so many.”
April 4-15 – Ohio Secretary of
State and Attorney General
Offices review request and
determine whether or not to
certify request.
2 Public Employee Quarterly Spring 2011

Waking the sleeping giant
EDDIE L. PARKS
President
I have never been prouder
to be “union” in my life.
There is a strong feeling
of solidarity in the air that
I’ve not felt in decades. The
very principles of unionism
are being re-thought and retaught
in Ohio and around the
country. Attacks on workers
and the erosion of the middle
class, under the guise of economic
distress, have awoken
an angry sleeping giant.
Anti-worker politicians and
talking heads tried to convince
this nation that the giant (aka,
labor) was dead. But the union
movement is not dead. OCSEA
activists are living proof of
that.
We have seen a revival in
activism in this union reminiscent
of 30 years ago when we
first fought for collective bargaining.
The passing of Senate
Bill 5, massive budget cuts
to public service and dangerous
pension proposals have
provoked us – but OCSEA
members are fighting back like
their lives depend on it.
You can hear the pride in
public work as you listen to
chapter-paid radio ads about
the importance of public service.
You can see the outrage
at anti-worker politicians on
subordinate-body sponsored
billboards and in newspaper
ads.
You can feel the fire in the
bellies of activists at rallies in
Columbus, Mount Vernon,
Canton and all across this
great state.
You can believe that we
are not alone as City Councils
pass resolutions against SB 5
in Athens, Lima, Mansfield and
cities everywhere in between.
But the fight has just begun,
brothers and sisters. SB 5
may have passed the Ohio
Legislature, but our work is
really just beginning, and we
have a long road ahead.
The opposition will spend
millions of dollars trying to
defeat us. They will play dirty
pool and they will play politics.
They will have unlimited
war chests. They will come to
Ohio from all over the country
to defeat us. But we will have
something they don’t have.
We will have YOU!
I have never been
prouder to be ‘union’
in my life.
~ OCSEA Pres.
Eddie L. Parks
We are going to win this
battle where all great battles
are won: on the front lines.
We’re not going win this war
in the media or even at the
Statehouse. We don’t have
the kind of resources the
Koch brothers have or other
wealthy campaign contributors
have.
We are going to win this
battle in the street, going doorto-door,
person-to-person,
where the rubber meets the
road.
With the support of private
sector unions, coalitions,
worker-friendly politicians and
businesses, we are leading the
way for a citizen’s veto. We
will let anti-union politicians
know once and for all that
working-class Ohioans are a
force to be reckoned with.
There’s a lot you can do
to get involved in the referendum
campaign between
now and November, and we
need you! Volunteer petition
circulators are currently being
trained to take on the greatest
task of gathering signatures.
Activists are also encouraged
to register other members
to vote, attend referendum
events and show support for
the referendum in their communities
by holding events,
putting out yard signs, writing
local newspapers and more.
We must band together
as we continue to fight this
historic and unfair attack on
working people. We cannot
let our resolve weaken no
matter what obstacles they
throw at us. The sleeping
giant has truly been awakened.
How do I get involved?
Beginning in mid April and into the spring, OCSEA
and AFSCME staff will train OCSEA member volunteers
around the state on how to effectively circulate
referendum petitions.
OCSEA chapters will play a key role in the circulation
of petitions and the mobilization of members as
we head toward November.
To learn more about the referendum process and
how to get involved, visit OCSEAVotes.org.
April 15 – Referendum is
officially certified and full
petition circulation is allowed to
begin.
Mid to late April – OCSEA
staff and activists receive
initial training on petition
circulation. Circulation
training begins statewide.
Late April-June 30 –
Petition circulators to
gather 231,149 signatures
to put referendum on
ballot.
June 30 – Deadline for
gathering signatures and filing
referendum petition with Ohio
SOS. Marks 90 days since bill
signed into law.
Spring 2011 Public Employee Quarterly 3

Referendum
How many signatures
do we need?
The minimum signatures
required by law to get the
repeal of SB 5 on the ballot
is 231,149 registered Ohio
voters. However, our goal
is to get 500,000 signatures
to prevent the possibility of
invalid signatures.
How long do we have
to get signatures?
We have 90 days from the
signing of the bill. That
deadline is June 30, 2011.
Who can sign
petitions?
Any Ohio registered voter.
If an individual is not registered,
they may fill out a
voter registration form at the
time of signing a petition.
Can I circulate petitions
at work?
Yes, as long as you are not
on the clock and are on your
own time (i.e., shift changes,
lunches) and are doing so in
non-work areas (i.e., lunch
rooms, union offices, outside).This
should be done
pursuant to your agency’s
solicitation policy.
Do you have to sign
the petition in your registered
county or can
you sign any petition?
You have to sign a petition
from the county in which
you are registered to vote.
Not doing so will invalidate
your signature.
If I wish to repeal
Senate Bill 5, how
should I vote?
When asked, “Shall Senate
Bill 5 be approved?” you
VOTE NO!
OCSEA Chapters:
The key to ballot box success
At a special membership meeting on April 2 in Columbus,
chapter leaders got their first glimpse of the role they will play
as OCSEA moves toward a referendum to repeal Senate Bill 5.
All chapters will play crucial roles throughout the process
in all 88 counties. Chapter leaders will work directly with their
OCSEA Staff Representative and Sector Captains to recruit and
train petition circulators, register members to vote and collect
signatures. The Sector Captains assigned to targeted counties
will report directly to one of three Regional Coordinators, who
report directly to OCSEA.
Each chapter is tasked with getting their chapter membership
to sign a petition. Chapters are also charged with working
directly in their communities to gather additional signatures,
including those of spouses, neighbors, church members, and so
on.
Chapters
Chapters
Sector Captains
Chapters
Activists are committed to
“Killing the bill” and plan to
take it all the way to the voting
booth.
Regional Coordinators
Repeal SB 5 Timeline Con’t.
July 20 – Last day SOS has to
determine if there are sufficient valid
signatures to put repeal referendum
on ballot. If enough signatures,
Ohio Ballot Board drafts referendum
language.
End of Aug.- beginning of Sept.
– The final deadline for SOS to
determine whether referendum
will be on ballot IF AND ONLY IF
the required signatures were not
met and supplemental signatures
are needed.
July-Nov. – OCSEA activists will educate members,
families and communities to increase referendum
awareness, hold voter registration drives, man phone
banks and more to repeal the bill!
4 Public Employee Quarterly Spring 2011

What’s IN
Senate Bill 5?
How will SB 5 affect you?
SB 5: From collective bargaining
to collective begging
As passed, Senate Bill 5 went from bad to awful as it
made its way from the Senate to the House.
The bill as passed and signed into law still makes
public employees criminals if they strike, eliminates steps and
longevity and keeps public employees away from the bargaining
table on health care. On top of that, it now allows fair share
“free loaders” to get the benefits of the union without paying
dues and makes it hard for public employees to participate in
the political process.
SB 5 gives managers no incentive at all to bargain in good
faith and gives the final resolution of impasse to the Controlling
Board or the State Legislature.
“We knew this was never about ‘budgets’ or ‘flexibility.’ It’s
about political payback and silencing unions and the voices
of the people who participate in them,” said OCSEA President
Eddie L. Parks.
Charles Berry (ODJFS)
“SB 5 will make it harder for
me to serve my customers.”
Jeana Campolo (DD)
“SB 5 will make it more
difficult to bargain the
issues that are important
to my members.”
Marlena Locke-Lowe
(OHFA)
“SB 5 will make it harder for
me to provide for my family.”
Darin Burkhart (ODOT)
“SB 5 will take away the right
to bargain safety in my
workplace.”
What’s in the bill:
In SB 5, OCSEA members can’t
bargain over:
• Health care plans
• Pension pick ups
• Privatization or contracting out
• Staffing levels
SB 5 also:
• Eliminates step increases and
pay schedules
• Requires the DAS Director to
create a performance pay system
• Requires wage increases/
decreases be based on
performance
• Eliminates longevity pay
• Limits overtime
• Requires employees to pay at
least 15 percent of their health
care premiums
• Caps vacation
• Limits sick leave accrual and payouts
at retirement
• Caps personal leave
SB 5 lets management decide
whether or not to bargain over:
• Hiring, firing, transfers, discipline
and more
• Work hours and assignments
• Equipment
• Work standards
• Work locations
• Consolidations and mergers
• Termination of work
More…
• SB 5 does not impact the current
contract but includes a Fiscal
Emergency clause, which could
invalidate contract agreements during
a fiscal crisis.
• While removing direct reference to
jail time for striking, jail time is still
the penalty for violating a “no strike”
injunction by the court.
• SB 5 eliminates the union “fair share”
provision, which allows “free loaders”
to get the benefits of the union without
having to pay their fair share.
• SB 5 allows employers, employees or
other unions to bring a petition to
decertify from the union with only a
small minority (30%) having to agree.
Oct. 4 – Early Voting begins.
Ohioans can begin requesting
absentee ballots and
vote NO! to repeal SB 5!
Oct. 11 – Last day to
register to vote for Nov. 8
election.
Nov. 5 – Last day to submit
Early Voting request. All
absentee ballot requests
must be submitted to county
board of elections by noon.
Nov. 8 –
Election Day!
Vote NO! to
Repeal the Bill!
Spring 2011 Public Employee Quarterly 5

Privatizing prisons
How Ohio communities
lose with prison
“fire sale”
Recent headlines from
Arizona to Louisiana
have painted a
graphic picture of private prison
contracts gone bad. Stories
abound about escaped private
prison inmates, mass manhunts
for fugitives and escapees terrorizing
communities and keeping
neighborhoods on edge.
In Arizona, a recent escape
led to a six-state manhunt and
the brutal death of an innocent
couple. Turns out, the
three fugitives who escaped
from the private prison run
by Management Training
Corporation were convicted
murderers being housed in
minimum security facilities.
Numerous other security problems
were uncovered after
the escape, too, including an
80 percent staff turnover rate,
faulty fencing and alarm systems
and an unmanned perimeter.
Not only are safety and security
issues on the rise, but savings
to taxpayers are overblown
or nonexistent when states
enter into these private prison
deals, according to recent
accounts. Besides that, the lack
of transparency means states are
having less and less control over
the security levels of inmates,
where they’re housed, how
they’re being treated or even
what state they’re from.
And thanks to a national
decrease in inmate populations,
a new trend has private prison
corporations leaving cities on
the hook for millions of dollars
when they abandon prisons that
aren’t turning a profit.
So why would Ohio want to
jump in to what many feel has
Grafton DRC Chap. 4710 Pres. Bobbie Peters speaks to a local
reporter about alternatives to privatizing her prison.
become a “private prison quagmire?”
Budgets or bankrolls?
Instead of heeding the warnings
of states like Arizona,
Ohio has decided to expand
its private prison experiment
and sell five entire prisons lock,
stock and barrel to shore up its
budget, or so the administration
says. But is the price worth the
pain?
“The sale of five prisons
to corrections contractors,
like Corrections Corporation
of America or Wackenhut,
does next to nothing to solve
the state’s budget crisis,” said
OCSEA Corrections Assembly
President Charlie Williamson.
The administration recently
admitted that only $50 million
of the $200 million dollar price
tag for the purchase of five
Ohio prisons, including North
Central Correctional Institution
and Grafton Correctional
Institutions, actually comes back
to the budget. The rest will be
used to pay off bonds still outstanding
on those facilities.
“That means the drastic sale
of five prisons that will kill jobs
and put communities at risk will
shave off only .6 percent of the
total budget deficit. That’s why
we’re calling it a “fire sale,”’ said
OCSEA State Board of Directors
member Tracy Cutright.
President
LOCAL
Ohio Civil Service
Employees Association
Vice President
Secretary-Treasurer
Board of Directors:
Eddie L. Parks
Christopher Mabe
Kathleen M. Stewart
District 1: Kate Callahan (ODOT),
Shawn Gruber (DR&C), Jerry Lugo (ODJFS)
District 2: Carrie Johnson (MH),
Michelle Hunter (ODMR/DD)
District 3: Doug Mosier (DR&C), Bob Valentine (ODOT)
District 4: Bruce Thompson (DYS),
Sharon Lipps (BWC)
District 5: Cindy Bobbitt (ODJFS),
Tracy Cutright (DR&C)
District 6: John Anthony (Taxation),
Debra Honore (RSC), Shirley Hubbert (BWC),
Louella Jeter (ODPS), Kelvin Jones, (EPA), Debra King
(ODJFS), Laura Morris (Health), Annie Person (DYS),
Tim Roberts (DR&C), Joe Wing (ODOT)
District 7: Quida Higbee (ODJFS),
Lawrence McKissic (BWC)
District 8: A.J. Frame (DR&C), Beth Sheets (ODMR/DD)
District 9: Charles Williamson (DR&C),
Jeremy Grooms (ODOT)
AFL-CIO
Retiree Representative: Loneste Blackwell
OCSEA Headquarters:
390 Worthington Road, Ste. A, Westerville, Oh 43082
Live Operator: 614-865-4700 or 800-969-4702
Automated Dial: 614-865-2678 or 800-266-5615
Fax: 614-865-4777
Web site: www.ocsea.org
Customer Service: 888-OCSEA-11 (888-627-3211)
OCSEA Public Employee Quarterly (USPS 010-112)
is published quarterly for $6 by the Ohio Civil Service
Employees Association, 390 Worthington Road,
Suite A, Westerville, OH 43082. Periodicals postage
paid at Westerville, OH and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Ohio Civil
Service Employees Association, 390 Worthington Road,
Suite A, Westerville, OH 43082.
OCSEA Public Employee Quarterly is produced by the
OCSEA Communications Department: Sally Meckling,
Director; Deirdre O’Neill-Wedig, Pattie Boy, Stacey
Laugel, Associates.
To update email and other contact information go to:
www.ocsea.org/update or call 800-969-4702.
LAKE
WILLIAMS FULTON LUCAS
ASHTABULA
OCSEA
OTTAWA
DISTRICT 7
GEAUGA
WOOD
CUYAHOGA
DEFIANCE HENRY
SANDUSKY ERIE
TRUMBULL
LORAIN
PORTAGE
OCSEA
PAULDING
MEDINA
DISTRICT 1
HURON
OCSEA
SENECA
SUMMIT DISTRICT 4
OCSEA
PUTNAM
HANCOCK
DISTRICT 3
MAHONING
ASH-
VAN WERT
WYANDOT CRAWFORD
LAND
WAYNE
STARK
ALLEN
RICHLAND
COLUMBIANA
HARDIN
MERCER AUGLAIZE
MARION
HOLMES
CARROLL
MORROW
JEFFER-
LOGAN
KNOX
TUSCARAWAS
SON
SHELBY
UNION
HARRISON
DELAWARE
COSHOCTON
DARKE
CHAMPAIGN OCSEA
OCSEA
DISTRICT 6
DISTRICT 5
LICKING
MIAMI
GUERNSEY BELMONT
MUSKINGUM
FRANKLIN
CLARK
MADISON
MONT-
PREBLE GOMERY
FAIRFIELD
NOBLE
PERRY
MONROE
GREENE
PICKAWAY
MORGAN
OCSEA
FAYETTE
DISTRICT 2
HOCKING
WASHINGTON
BUTLER
OCSEA
WARREN CLINTON
DISTRICT 8
ROSS
VINTON ATHENS
HAMILTON
HIGHLAND
MEIGS
PIKE
JACKSON
CLERMONT
OCSEA
DISTRICT 9
BROWN
GALLIA
ADAMS
SCIOTO
6 Public Employee Quarterly
LAWRENCE
6 Public Employee Quarterly Spring 2011

It’s clear by these figures
that the sale is more politically
and philosophically motivated
than budget-motivated. “If the
bottom line number they were
looking to save is $50 million
or even $200 million, they
could have sat down with the
union to talk about savings,
but they chose not to,” said
OCSEA Corrections Assembly
Vice President Tim Roberts.
“Instead, they are choosing to
sell the state’s assets to their
cronies for pennies on the
dollar. Hell, we saved $250 million
in just one year of our contract
concessions and we didn’t
have to sell off the farm to do
it,” said Roberts.
Taxes, jobs and broken
promises
The Kasich administration
is pulling out all the stops to
entice community leaders in
Grafton and Marion that the
sale will mean renewed taxes
and more jobs. But are local
officials just being hoodwinked?
“By our analysis, those
promises are overstated at best,
and outright lies at worst,” said
Cutright.
The Marion Star reported
the Kasich administration even
admitted private companies use
fewer staff and that they plan
on using only 1.7 COs to fill a
position, instead of the 2 COs
the state uses (March 27, 2011).
The upshot: even fewer jobs
for Marion and Grafton, and at
lower pay.
While wage information for
private prison companies is a
closely guarded secret, OCSEA
Corrections leaders were able
to ascertain from paperwork
filed by Management Training
Corporation that the company
pays its staff about a third less
than the State of Ohio. “How
would you like to do this job
where you are in danger of
being assaulted on a daily basis
for $12 an hour? Because that’s
what they get paid,” Cutright
recently told a newspaper
reporter.
Not only will the number of
jobs and salaries be curtailed,
but in new budget language,
companies that buy state assets
wholesale like the prisons or
Turnpike will not be subject to
the same taxes as other government
vendors. According to the
Kasich budget language, any
project, like the sale of prisons,
the Turnpike or the Lottery…
“shall remain exempt from
taxation and assessments
levied by the state and its
subdivisions to the same
extent as if not subject to
that contract….” (Sub. H.B.
No. 153, p. 266, line 8312)
In other words, renewed
taxes from the sale of the prisons
will likely not be forthcoming
to the communities either.
Cutting bait
Not only will these prison
sweetheart deals damage the
current jobs recovery in Ohio,
it will mortgage the future of
towns that buy into the plan.
According to recent reports,
once lucrative private prison
deals throughout the country
are going sour and leaving
communities holding the bag.
National Public Radio recently
exposed how a decrease in
inmate populations nationally
has private prison companies
closing up shop when the
inmate “well” runs dry and letting
towns flounder in their
debt (March 28, 2011).
In Littlefield, Texas, for example,
a company bowed out of a
private prison contract when it
wasn’t making enough money.
The company left a community
high and dry to the tune of a
hundred prison jobs as well as
a substantial debt on the oncenew
facility that the city now
must pay.
Could the same happen in
Marion or Grafton? You bet.
With sentencing reform looming
on Ohio’s horizon, the
NCCI Chap. 5788 Vice Pres. Adam Ruth talks to a Columbus news
station about how privatizing NCCI will impact his community
of Marion.
number of inmates is sure to
decline in the future. According
to testimony by OCSEA members
in DR&C a “reversion”
clause in the private prison
contracts will leave taxpayers
opening their wallets to “buy
back the land, buildings and
Private prison Q and A
Aren’t private prison companies
Q :
cheaper to operate?
No. Private companies keep their costs artificially
A :
low by cherry picking inmates without health
care needs, behavioral problems or gang
affiliation. Contract caps on health care also mean
if inmates do get sick they get shipped back to
the state prisons. DR&C officials have already
admitted they’ll “cream” inmates and said they will
only take ones with a minimum to medium security
rank. By moving the more violent and more medically
involved inmates to the state system, public
prisons only appear like they cost more, but the
comparison is apples to oranges.
Q :
A :
beds if contractors pack up and
move out.”
Cutright told legislators at a
recent legislator hearing that
these private prison deals are
like finding “free cheese in a
mousetrap.” Communities like
Marion and Grafton should
seriously heed the warning.
Won’t this give communities like
Marion and Grafton an economic
boost?
No. It’s estimated private prisons pay about a third
less in salaries and little or no health care for their
employees. That means less money being spent
in those communities, including on medical services.
Private prisons also cut costs by not awarding
time off and keeping staffing ratios low. Not only
does that have an effect on prison security, but it
also means fewer jobs and fewer dollars to local
businesses.
Spring 2011 Public Employee Quarterly 77

Taxation activists
Office closing hurts most in need
fight back
Kasich’s first “jobs”
proposal after
unveiling his “jobs
budget” appeared to be the
elimination of 171 jobs in the
Dept. of Taxation, including 99
from Ohio’s Regional Taxation
offices that are now slated to
close. Taxation employees in
seven regional offices around
Ohio were puzzled when a day
after the Governor said there
wouldn’t be mass layoffs, there
was the announcement by
Tax Commissioner Joe Testa
that indeed there would be.
Regional taxation offices in
Youngstown, Toledo, Cleveland
Akron, Zanesville, Cincinnati
and Dayton are all on the chopping
block.
Tens of thousands of walk-in
customers are served a year in
these vital centers that serve a
large number of seniors, lowincome
families and small business
owners, the loss of which
will ripple through those communities,
according to Taxation
Assembly President Chandra
Greever.
In an article appearing in the
Columbus Dispatch, Greever
said, “Where are they going to
go? People that are culturally
different, that are starting new
businesses, that are behind in
their taxes and need some help,
that are senior citizens, they all
go there.”
“This isn’t creating any jobs,”
Greever said. “It’s going to
create nothing.”
Pat Schulte-Singleton, an
OCSEA steward and vice president
of the Taxation Assembly,
held a press conference outside
of the Lausche Building in
Cleveland along with former
Ohio House speaker Rep.
OCSEA Taxation activists submitted photos like these to legislators
during a hearing to put a face on the people that would be laid off
if the Regional Taxation offices were to close.
Cleveland Taxation
Employees
“This isn’t creating
any jobs. It’s going
to create nothing.”
~ Chandra Greever
Taxation Assembly President
Armond Budish and business
owner Larry Morrow, both of
whom oppose closing the office
in Cleveland.
“If the service centers are
closed, the only options to taxpayers
for resolution or clarification
would be through letter
writing, telephone or a trip
down to the only service center
open in Columbus,”
Schulte-
Singleton
Siham Shibley Cara Yoder Carmelona Grossi Cynthia James Donna Rozier Douglas McMillian Felipe Agrelot
Frank Rapisarda Jennifer Davidson Joshua Ault Katheryne Pickering Kimberly Scribner Leticia Sales-Wilson Loraine Snowden
Michael Picus Natalie Morales Pat Schulte- Singleton
Who will be
NEXT?
said in a press
statement.
Those like the
elderly or startup
business
owners who
have the most
need, will have
the least access,
she said.
In addition to
the foot traffic,
the centers are
also part of the
larger call center
network and
take hundreds
of thousands of
calls requesting
tax help per
year.
Plus, the regional offices
bring in millions of dollars
with numerous tax compliance
programs, which in turn fund
county and transit districts,
according to Schulte-Singleton.
OCSEA Taxation activists
also testified before a finance
subcommittee that closing the
tax offices was ill-advised from
a service perspective. Michelle
Castleman and Jay Wander
from the Cincinnati Service
Center also offered testimony
as well as Cara Yoder from the
Cleveland center. OCSEA State
Board of Directors member
John Anthony and Taxation
employee summed it up in
his testimony, “The taxpayer
service centers are a return
on investment that is not only
actual income received but an
invaluable asset to the citizens
of Ohio that assist, educate
and facilitate in compliance
with Ohio’s tax laws. To close
these centers, which daily bring
funds into the state coffers and
provide valuable services to the
citizens of Ohio, would be an
atrocity to this state.”
8 Public Employee Quarterly Spring 2011

“No jobs” budget
Ohio River Valley gains
major community support
OCSEA activists in
DYS rallied their
community with a
standing-room-only event after
it was announced that the youth
facility called Ohio River Valley
(ORV) in Franklin Furnace was
being targeted for closure. Signs
and banners reading, “368 jobs
lost,” decked out the gymnasium
at Green High School
where 600 community leaders,
business people, union activists
and local elected officials
gathered to protest the closure
of the state’s newest youth correctional
facility.
Dozens of community leaders
and business owners have
joined union leaders in opposition
to the closure because of
the effect of losing hundreds
of jobs in already-depressed
southern Ohio. Portsmouth
City Council signed a resolution
opposing it and the Scioto
County Commissioners are
against it, too.
“We have one of the highest
unemployment rates in the
state,” said ORV Chap. 7341
President Carla Brunty, a 14-year
OCSEA ORV Chap. 7341 Pres. Carla Brunty poses with
OCSEA Pres. Eddie L. Parks at a large rally against the
closure of ORV.
employee with DYS. “There’s
no place else to go. I think it
will be devastating to the rest
of the town. I’ll have to sell my
home and I’ve put every dime
I have into it. There are people
who have had farms who have
been in families for generations.
They’re losing it all. There are
no other jobs to raise a family
on. This is a critical piece to this
county.”
“The announcement of this
closure comes as a complete
shock to me,” said State Rep.
Terry Johnson (R-McDermott)
to the Ironton Tribune on
March 20, 2011. “We in southern
Ohio cannot afford to lose
a single job, much less 333 of
them. Whether it is a government
job or a private sector job,
we need to keep them all.”
With this unexpected
announcement, in just three
years, four DYS facilities will
have closed, including ones in
Mohican, Marion, Delaware and
now Franklin Furnace. DYS officials
say the closure is necessary
because of the reduced youth
inmate population, with juvenile
courts sending more and
more youth to community
facilities instead of the state
youth centers.
But OCSEA leaders who work
in adult Corrections and DYS
believe a problem is brewing
with the elimination of half the
state’s youth facilities.
“The problem we’re seeing
is we’re now getting more of
these juvenile offenders in our
prisons than we’ve ever had.
They are extremely violent and
often affiliated with gangs,” said
OCSEA Corrections Assembly
Vice President Tim Roberts. “So
this notion that there are fewer
juvenile offenders is baloney.
They’re just moving them to
the adult facilities now,” said
Roberts.
“Closing facilities like ORV
is not the answer,” said OCSEA
DYS Assembly President Annie
Person. “The closing of an institution
causes DYS to release
juveniles earlier and that causes
problems in their community;
it causes them to come back to
DYS or it could cause them to
even go to adult prison.”
DYS OCSEA activists have
drummed up support far and
wide against the closure of the
facility that houses the most
aggressive and violent youth in
the system. In a letter to Scioto
County Commissioners, Daryl
Wynn, an executive board
member of the ORV chapter
and Youth Leader at the center,
said the closure is “not about
the budget.” Winn sited the millions
of dollars spent on facility
upgrades and infrastructure at
ORV that the state will have
to shell out again if the facility
closes:
“In 2009 extensive remodeling
was done on the unit
doors due to youth being
able to pick the door lock
from inside their room and
exit. Cuff ports were also
installed... Heavy duty door
hinges were installed to
prevent youth from kicking
doors open. In 2009 &
2010 1.5 million dollars was
spent on security cameras
for our facility thus equipping
ORVJCF with a state of
the art security monitoring
system.”
DYS Youth Leader Daryl Wynn
recently testified in front of a
legislative committee to keep
ORV open.
Now taxpayers will be made
to fork over additional funds to
retrofit other DYS facilities, so
they can safely house the violent
youth offenders that ORV
does, said Wynn.
In addition, Wynn recently
testified to a legislative committee
that ORV is a good bang
for the taxpayer buck and has
the most cost effective day rate
when it comes to “close security”
of any DYS facility.
Spring 2011 Public Employee Quarterly 9

Hometown Heroes
Activists take fight to communities
When times are tough, OCSEA leaders get activated.
With attacks to collective bargaining, massive budget
cuts, the announcement of facility closures and pension
overhaul, chapter, assembly and district leaders are taking it
to the streets of their hometowns. They are holding rallies, pickets,
phone banks, town halls and more. They are talking to their
local newspapers and news stations, writing letters to the editor
and speaking out at City
Council meetings.
Activities are happening
all over the state every day
as activists in their communities
join the fight for
working people.
Mount Vernon DC holds vigils
The members of Dixie Mount Vernon DC Chap. 4220 are
a force to be reckoned with. Not only have activists traveled
to Columbus to attend rallies and hearings, but they
have also taken their
opposition to Senate
Bill 5 to the Mount
Vernon town square.
The Dixie chapter
recently held a vigil in
the center of town to
educate town members
on how the legislation
could impact
their community.
“An injury to one is
an injury to all,” said
Retiree Nancy Schaeffer talks about life
in the Developmental Centers before
collective bargaining.
An injury to one is
an injury to all”
~ Mary Hayes,
Mount Vernon
Developmental Center
chapter president
Mary Hayes.
Members of
Chap. 4220
show their
support
for MVDC
leaders as
they speak
out against
SB 5.
FACT vs. FICTION:
DCI keeps members
informed
DCI Chap. 5725 leaders leaflet about SB 5.
Dayton Correctional Chap. 5725 President
Jerry Brown says the most important thing
his chapter leaders can do is keep the membership
informed and help them decipher what is fact
and what is fiction when it comes to SB 5 and budget cuts that
will impact prisons.
At a recent shift-change leafletting outside the Dayton prison,
Brown and members of his executive board handed out fliers and
talked with members about how SB 5 will impact their rights in the
workplace, including health and safety.
Billboard drives home
Chap. 3700 message
When the leaders of Hocking Chap. 3700 heard about
attacks on collective bargaining, they knew they
couldn’t sit back and do nothing. They wanted to do
something big in their community, something that got a lot of attention
and showed the value of public employees.
That’s why President Miki Mercer and her chapter leaders chose
to purchase a billboard opposing SB 5 on a major highway in southern
Ohio. The billboard encouraged the community to stand up
against the bill, with the overlying message: “State Workers Keep
Ohio Working.”
10 Public Employee Quarterly
Spring 2011

SE Ohio chapter
hits airwaves
Marietta is a small, quiet southeastern Ohio town
nestled on the Ohio River. But the members of
Washington/Noble Chap. 8400 have been anything
but quiet lately about their opposition to SB 5 and what they fear
it will do to their small town.
“We see people down here turning out like never before,” said
Chapter Vice President Matt Arnold.
In addition to multiple rallies and protests, Chap. 8400 has
been vocal in its opposition through placing anti-SB 5 ads on
radio stations throughout the Mid-Ohio Valley.
Proposed prison
closures hit home
Members who work at North Central and Grafton
Correctional Institutions are angry about budget proposals
to sell off their prisons and are afraid of the
impact it will have on their families and communities. But they’ve
not been afraid to show their opposition to the closures by speaking
out to local media outlets, at City Council meetings and informational
meetings held by the Dept.of Rehabilitation
and Corrections in their hometowns. Members
have spoken freely to the press and the agency
about how prison closures will impact their ability to
provide for their families, protect their neighbors
and give back to their communities.
Members of Chap. 8400 join Marietta community members
against SB 5 at a downtown rally.
Grafton employee Craig Cassidy talks about how the selling of that
prison will impact his union brothers and sisters.
Members who work at the Ohio River Valley Juvenile
Correctional Facility, which has also been targeted
for closure, recently packed a high school auditorium.
Surrounded by concerned members of their community,
members of Chap. 7341 spoke out about how the
proposed closure will impact their already-hurting community
of Franklin Furnace and surrounding Scioto County.
Chapter President Carla Brunty is pleased
with the solidarity that she sees in her membership
and the community. “With the help of our
community, we will fight this closure until
we can’t fight it anymore,”
said Brunty.
Members of Chap. 7341 pack a high
school auditorium to protest the
proposed closure of the Ohio River
Valley Juvenile Correctional Facility.
Tell your
chapter story
Chapters all over the state are
doing a lot to combat attacks
against workers. Tell us your
story and send us pictures at
OCSEAVotes.org
Spring 2011 Public Employee Quarterly 11
Version 1 pt 1

OCSEA members
tell their story
From attacks on collective bargaining, proposed institution closures,
massive budget cuts and privatization, OCSEA members are feeling the
pain and stress of an extreme anti-worker agenda. Hard-working OCSEA
members share how radical changes to state government and public services
could impact them, their families, their co-workers and their communities.
Mary Coburn
Job and Family Services
Mary Coburn isn’t a public speaker. She’d never spoken to the
press or thought her story was something Ohioans wanted to hear.
But when this ODJFS Customer Service Representative and single
mom heard about SB 5 and the impacts it would have on families
like hers, she knew she had to speak out.
Before a crowd of over 11,000 supporters against SB 5 at a
Statehouse rally, Coburn told her story. She talked about working
paycheck-to-paycheck; how she was a victim of the foreclosure
crisis; and how she is fighting to make ends meet to take care of
her three children.
“I just feel so honored to be able to tell my story and make a difference
in this fight,” said Coburn. “My family and I will do whatever
we have to do to fight this fight to the end.”
Brandy Marshall
Taxation
“I attended the rally because I think it’s important to show my
support to a cause I believe in. I want my own voice to be heard.
I brought my kids because I want to teach them that they should
stand up for what they believe in and to fight for what’s right”
Vince Goliday
Dept. of Rehabilitation and
Correction
“Not only will it impact us,
it will impact future generations
of public employees for
years to come – our sons
and daughters and grandkids.
I tell them every day
that this is an attack on the middle class, the
working poor and organized labor.”
Mark Marino
Ohio Housing Finance Agency
“I took about ten hours of leave over
three separate days to participate in protests
about the possible loss of our Ohio
public sector collective bargaining rights.
While there, I never felt so proud to be a
union member in all of my life; and I have
been a union member since 1986! This
has definitely aroused the union movement here in
Ohio, and across the nation – both private sector
and public sector! ”
Version 1 pt 1
12 Public Employee Quarterly Spring 2011

Kelly Blackstone
Cambridge Developmental Center
Kelly Blackstone works with individuals with developmental
disabilities at the Cambridge Developmental Center and
worries that a workplace without or with severely limited
collective bargaining will open the door to privatization and
leave her patients without proper care.
Blackstone fears that, without the ability to sit down and
discuss client care in good faith, the individuals under her
care could be moved at anytime or placed in group homes
with staff that are not “properly trained to understand their
disabilities and who are most likely not paid enough to even
care.”
To Blackstone, her job is more than just a paycheck, it’s
about taking care of others. “I work with individuals who
require many appointments with specialized physicians and
require constant medical oversight with medications and
medical programs,” said Blackstone. “I fear privatization and
cutting back at the DC will not only impact my family, but it
will mean life or death for the individuals I serve.”
Mike Tenney and Adam Ruth
DR&C – North Central Correctional Institution
As the President and Vice President of North Central
Correctional Institution Chap. 5188, Correction Officers Mike
Tenney and Adam Ruth have a lot on their minds. Both worry how
budget cuts and privatization will impact their co-workers as NCCI
braces to be privatized.
The announcement that NCCI will be sold and turned into a private
prison later this year has been devastating to the morale of the
Institution, said Tenney. “Countless resignations, along with everyone
being on edge from the unknown, has been hard on everyone,”
he said.
Ruth said he is very concerned about the safety of his community
of Marion and questions how the private sector will be able to
combat these issues: “Will the private sector be able to secure the
facility the way we as state employees do? That’s unlikely,” said
Ruth. “And, for those who end up being laid off, will they have no
choice but to apply for one of the low-paying private-sector prison
jobs? I fear for their lives and livelihood,” said Ruth.
Suzanne Meade
DR&C- Central Office
“After 25 plus years of service,
I make $21.52 an hour, including
longevity. I raised two sons as a
single parent and worked as a Unit
Secretary in the bowels of a prison
to do so. I shop at thrift stores for
my clothing, drive an 8-year-old
truck and live paycheck to paycheck.
I am not in public service to get rich.”
Version 1 pt 1
Jay Reel
Bureau of Workers’ Compensation
“I am the main source of
income and, as that shrinks, so
declines my family’s ability to
shop at area stores. This in turn
will cause other working people
to lose jobs. The taxes I pay,
and that other citizens pay, will
shrink, which in turn will reduce the money my city
has to keep services going.”
Spring 2011 Public Employee Quarterly 13

OCSEA held a recent question and answer session at
the special meeting to beat back Senate Bill 5 held in
downtown Columbus. Questions about the referendum
process as well as the state budget were fast and furious. Below is a
list of some of the most frequently asked questions and the answers
by OCSEA staff.
Longevity
Question: Does the elimination of longevity
mean it will be taken away completely, leaving only our
base pay? If we currently have longevity pay, will it be
capped at that amount?
Answer: The longevity supplement is removed
from the Ohio Revised Code. Our current collective bargaining
agreement will govern through February 29, 2012. We
will negotiate wages with the State of Ohio and will propose
to keep the longevity supplement. It will be a difficult negotiations
process. It is unclear how OCB will implement the
words “removal of longevity pay supplement.” It is possible
that they will remove the supplement altogether and only
base salary would remain. OCSEA will continue to fight to
maintain the gains your union has won over the years.
Recall
Question: How can we recall or impeach
Governor Kasich?
Answer: Ohio does not have a current recall
process. However, House Bill 203 was introduced by
Representative Bob Hagan and Representative Mike Foley
that details the process for recall of state-wide elected
officials.
Pension
Question: When the pension reform bill is
signed, how long do I have until I must retire to be eligible
for the current COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment)?
Answer: According to the current OPERS proposed
recommendations, you will be “grandfathered” if you are
eligible to retire and retire before the effective date of the
legislation. Please note this legislation is still being debated
in the General Assembly and is subject to change during that
process. For more information, please visit www.opers.org.
Fiscal Emergency
Referendum
Question: What are the requirements to be a
petition circulator?
Answer: You must be a US citizen and not
be a convicted felon who is currently serving probation.
Petition Circulators must receive training. Please see
OCSEAVotes.org for more information.
Question: Did people have to vote in the
November 2010 elections to be eligible to sign the petition?
Answer: No, you must simply be an Ohio registered
voter. The importance of the November 2010 election is that
it determined how many signatures were needed for the
referendum.
Question: If Kasich declares a fiscal emergency,
will our contract be opened up before the November
election?
Answer: The bill cannot go into effect until 90 days
after it is signed or July 1, 2011. When we are successful at
getting the necessary signatures for the referendum, the bill
will continue to be “stayed” (or placed on hold) until the
people vote.
Question: Can the governor implement the bill
now if he declares a fiscal emergency?
Answer: No, however there is a process under the
State Employment Relations Board (SERB) case law that indicates
management can mid-term bargain if certain standards
are met.
14 Public Employee Quarterly Spring 2011

DOD programs help
...those in need
In the face of privatization
and the creation
of JobsOhio, most
employees at the Ohio Dept.
of Development continue
their hard work serving Ohio
taxpayers, consumer groups
and businesses. In the Winter
Public Employee Quarterly,
we highlighted employees in
the Community Development
Division. This issue, we interviewed
employees in the Office
of Community Services.
The Office of Community
Services, or OCS, administers
large federal block grants to
those in need around Ohio.
The Home Energy Assistance
Program (HEAP) is one of
those grants designed to help
eligible, low-income citizens
afford the high costs of heating
their homes. Those eligible for
assistance get a one-time HEAP
benefit in the form of a credit to
their utility company, depending
on income level and size of
the household.
Joan Morr, a Customer
Service Assistant in OCS works
directly with HEAP. She reviews
the HEAP applications to see if
someone qualifies for assistance,
and determines how much
assistance they qualify for based
on income and other factors. “I
process applications. I’m like
a quality control person” said
Morr. “We help people who
can’t catch up with their utilities
payments, including retirees
living on small Social Security
checks.”
OCS also administers grants
to other programs, including
the Winter Crisis Program. This
program provides assistance
when heat is disconnected or
about to be disconnected or
when families have less than
a 10-day supply of fuel. The
Home Weatherization Program
focuses on making low-income
households energy efficient by
replacing old appliances, insulating
properly and thus creating
more affordable housing for
those in need.
Other grant programs administered
by OCSEA members in
DOD include the Community
Services Block Grant, which
helps those in poverty become
self-sufficient, as well as the
Electronic Partnership Program,
which helps pay for electricity
usage.
The Percentage of Income
Payment Plan Plus (PIPP Plus)
makes monthly payments for
utilities for affordable for lowincome
households by adjusting
it to fit their income level. This
is where Vicki Foss, a Customer
Service Assistant, works every
day.
Vicki works directly with
applicants for PIPP Plus, and
enjoys helping people in tough
economic situations. “Some
people I speak with are living
in campers because they’ve lost
their homes” she said. “Most of
our folks I help are in the situation
– do I pay rent? Or do I
pay for my medication?” said
Foss. She helps them apply for
PIPP Plus so that they can afford
to do both. “Some people have
even burst into tears,” she said,
“we help them pay their bills,
get out of debt, and get back on
their feet.”
As a Customer Service Assistant,
Vicki Foss enjoys helping those
in low income households
afford their home heating bills.
Spring 2011 Public Employee Quarterly 15

Businesses show support
for Ohio workers
Local businesses around Ohio are
sporting a new decal in their windows,
one that proudly proclaims
“Public & Private Employees Served Here.” As
the result of attacks on working Ohioans and
the impact those attacks could have on local
businesses, the Proud Ohio Workers program
was launched by AFSCME to spotlight small
and local businesses that support workers.
(Above) Olde Canal Health Foods in
Chillicothe shows support by placing the
Proud Ohio Worker decal prominently in
the shop’s window.
LaDonna Secrist, owner of Squirrel’s Den in
Mansfield, is concerned she may lose customers
with the passage of SB 5. Public workers make
up a significant percentage of her customers.
The Proud Ohio Worker program shows how legislation
harmful to workers, such as Senate Bill 5, trickles down and
impacts entire communities.
Recognizing the negative impact that SB 5 could have on
their town, businesses like The Squirrel’s Den in Mansfield are
displaying the decal to show their support for public workers.
Squirrel’s Den owner LaDonna Secrist was one of the
very first merchants to join the program. She is concerned
about the impact public employee job loss could have on
her business, a specialty chocolate, nut and popcorn shop.
Twenty-five percent of the Squirrel’s Den’s regular customers
are public employees, said Secrist. “I see the effects when
people’s pay gets cut. They start buying less and not coming
as much,” she said.
Businesses throughout Ohio are being urged to show their
support for all workers by visiting ProudOhioWorkers.com
and joining the program. Worker-friendly businesses are highlighted
on the new website and OCSEA members and their
families are encouraged to patronize these businesses.
(Above) All types of
businesses have joined
Proud Ohio Workers,
such as Big Daddy Tattoos
in Xenia.
OCSEA Sec.-Treas. Kathy
Stewart (right) talks with
Columbus media outlets at
one of the first media events
highlighting the program.
(Below) Realizing the impact that SB 5 will have when
displaced workers can no longer afford their services,
businesses such as Magnificent Cuts in Cincinnati eagerly
join the program.
(Left) Employees
at Jaworski
Meats of
Middleburg
Heights show
their support of
public workers
by displaying
their decal.
16 Public Employee Quarterly Spring 2011

2011 Conferences
canceled; Union to
put resources where
they matter most
As a result of the serious
threats facing the union, OCSEA
has announced it will cancel
the OCSEA Women’s Action
Conference scheduled for
June and the OCSEA Veterans
Conference scheduled for
July. Also being postponed
are the week-long Stewards
Academy this summer and the
Steward Conference planned for
October.
Get the latest information at
OCSEA.org.
Editors announce
correction in Winter PEQ
The editors of OCSEA’s
magazine the Public Employee
Quarterly wish to apologize to
the OCSEA membership for a
recent mistake made on page
4 of the Winter edition of the
union magazine.
In the interest of creating a
piece of art that demonstrates
the many important services
that OCSEA members provide
that are in danger of being privatized,
a photo of someone who
was not an OCSEA member,
and was, in fact, an actor, was
mistakenly used. It is OCSEA’s
policy to use member photos in
all our publications, as much as
possible, and the union is taking
steps to assure that this does not
happen again.
OCSEA AFSCME
29th BIENNIAL CONVENTION
August 25-27th, 2011
Greater Columbus Convention Center
While OCSEA activists are focused on the Statehouse
and the war on Ohio’s public employees, it’s important
that they not lose sight of preparations for the upcoming
OCSEA Biennial Convention. In addition to electing
statewide officers and making changes to the OCSEA
Constitution, delegates will become activated around
the referendum to repeal SB 5.
Version 1 pt 1
Spring 2011 Public Employee Quarterly 17

B I E N N I A L
Candidate Statements
The OCSEA Constitution permits candidates
running for statewide office to run a 200-word
or less statement in the Public Employee
Quarterly.
Below are the candidates’ own statements
seeking support for their candidacy
for President, Vice-President and Secretary-
Treasurer of OCSEA. The election will take
place at the OCSEA Biennial Convention Aug.
25-27 at the Greater Columbus Convention
Center.
OFFICE OF: PRESIDENT
Christopher Mabe
In these times we are faced
with, leadership is of the
utmost importance. For this
reason I, Christopher Mabe,
announce my candidacy for
the President of OCSEA. I
have been a union member
of OCSEA for over 20 years to
date. I have held many leadership
positions over the last
twenty years, from a chapter
and district secretary to a
Vice President and President
of District 3, to the President
of Lorain Correctional, and,
finally, the Vice President of
OCSEA. I have learned many
things over these many years
in these leadership positions.
The most important being
both from my experience
as a combat veteran of the
Gulf War as well as union
leadership roles I have held.
Leaders must lead from the
front. Good leaders train their
replacements, and transparency,
honesty and integrity are
much more than words – they
are actions. With this in mind,
as well as the need for some
new direction for OCSEA, I
ask for your support in this
endeavor. With the many battles
we face in the near future,
I am ready to fight and ready
to lead. The time for change
is now.
In Solidarity,
Christopher Mabe
Eddie L. Parks
Sisters and Brothers, I am
honored to serve as OCSEA’s
President and Vice-President
for AFSCME International.
During my first-term, we
changed OCSEA’s focus to
be more “member driven” by
focusing on improving membership
service, raising the
quality of work life, enhancing
employment security and
developing leaders and activist.
All improvements were
designed to increase the value
of being an OCSEA member.
We delivered a Next Wave
conference as well as our largest
training initiative, OCSEA’s
Leadership Academy. Both
programs gained national recognition.
Today we are confronting
the gravest challenges
OCSEA has faced. Governor
Kasich signed into law Senate
Bill 5 that severely restricts our
rights to collective bargaining.
We are in a fierce referendum
battle to rescind this attack
on our rights. This battle
will define labor’s place in
Ohio for years to come – and
OCSEA is leading the charge. I
am serving as Co-Chairperson
of the Ohio labor coalition for
the referendum fight. With
a strong collective voice for
OCSEA, AFSCME and the labor
movement, I am confident
we will win and repeal SB 5. I
humbly ask for your support
to continue to lead this fight
for our livelihoods! I am asking
you to re-elect me as your
President.
18 Public Employee Quarterly Spring 2011

C O N V E N T I O N
OFFICE OF: VICE PRESIDENT
Debra King Hutchinson
I AM UNION with 26 years
of hands-on experience. I am
President of OCSEA DVI &
President of ODJFS Chapter
2599. I learned to crawl before
I walked in the union, beginning
with my days as Secretary
of the OBES chapter & DVI.
It continued as I became DVI
Vice-President, an OCSEA
State Board of Directors
member, Central Ohio AFL-
CIO Recording Secretary,
Secretary-Treasurer of Central
Ohio Area Labor Federation,
Vice-President of CBTU,
Columbus NAACP Executive
Board member as well as a
member of CLUW and APRI.
Now, with union experience,
I seek the office of
Vice-President of OCSEA. Our
president will need a strong
supportive hand to turn to
at anytime, and I believe
I am the person who can
fill those shoes. Right now,
OCSEA has a few issues, but
the unity of our brothers &
sisters will make us victorious.
Empowerment is the key to
keeping trust in the union. By
keeping our members empowered
with effective communications,
we will keep OCSEA
strong as well as help to keep
members filled with faith,
power, and pride in OCSEA as
we march forth into battle. I
need your support.
Thank you.
Debra King Hutchinson
Contact: deb1545@hotmail.
com
James LaRocca
It is with great enthusiasm
that I, James LaRocca, declare
my candidacy for Vice-
President of OCSEA. I have
given this decision considerable
thought and I am convinced
that the leadership of
the Union needs to change.
While I have heard that a
campaign at this time would
be divisive, I think to stay the
course we are on would be
worse than changing course.
Public sector employees
are under an unprecedented
attack. Our leaders need to
get out into the communities.
They can not lead this
Union from behind a desk
in Columbus. We need to
forge relations with all public
sector unions and engage and
organize our membership for
the fight of our lives.
I believe that my experience
– twenty seven years
as a state employee, twenty
five years as a union steward,
twenty years as a chapter
president and seventeen
years as a state board member
– uniquely qualifies me to
hold the position of Vice-
President of OCSEA. I humbly
ask for your vote and support.
Thank you.
OFFICE OF: SECRETARY-TREASURER
John Anthony
I, John Anthony, do hereby
declare my candidacy for
Secretary–Treasurer of OCSEA.
I have been employed by the
State of Ohio, Department
of Taxation, for 22 years.
I am currently an OCSEA
State Board of Directors
Representative in District 6
and the president of Taxation
Chapter 2595.
Our Union is in great need
of leadership, consensus and
communication among its
membership. My desire is
to improve the ability of all
members to communicate and
organize using today’s technologies
to their fullest extent.
By implementing real time
web based updating of subordinate
body representative
information, our members can
be assured and informed of
their leaders and other important
contacts.
I wish to oversee the reinstatement
of a central membership
services so that every
member can be fully informed
and continually assisted when
using Union resources.
Modern multimedia is needed
to bring members to meetings
and provide for improved
accountability of our Union.
I also believe we should
strive to bring the financial
processes and requirements
into the 21 st Century, thereby
making it easier for our subordinate
bodies to administer
and comply with our
Constitution. To achieve these
endeavors I request your vote
and support.
Kathy Stewart
It has been my privilege
and honor to serve you as
your Secretary-Treasurer since
2003. As your chief financial
officer, your Union dues have
been safe and secure, and allocated
according to the OCSEA
Constitution. In addition, as
your Secretary-Treasurer, my
efforts have been focused
on comprehensive financial
training and education of
all subordinate bodies –
Chapters, District Councils
and Assemblies. My goal was
to extend good financial management
to all local bodies,
including OCSEA Central
Office.
My expertise is drawn
from years of service to
you, the members. My past
experience as a steward also
includes local chapter and
district leadership, and service
on the OCSEA State Board
of Directors since 1987. As
chair of the OCSEA Finance
Committee, this Union has
always passed every financial
audit. In my position as
Account Examiner 3 in DAS,
management of hundreds of
millions of dollars prepared
me for this job!
With the unprecedented
challenges facing OCSEA
today, it is critical that we
keep professional, experienced
leadership at the helm
of our Union. I am asking for
your support during these
challenging times to continue
bringing the fight we need to
defeat those who would take
our just rights we fought so
hard to gain.
Spring 2011 Public Employee Quarterly 19

SUBORDINATE BODY MEETINGS & ELECTION NOTICES*
Assemblies
BWC Assembly
Jun. 4 Meeting: 10 a.m.
Nominations: 10:15-10:30 a.m.
Election: 10:30-10:45 a.m.
OCSEA, 390 Worthington Rd.,
Westerville - Rm. 195
Taxation Assembly
Sep. 10 E-Board: 10:30 a.m.
Meeting: 11 a.m.
OCSEA, 390 Worthington Rd.,
Westerville - Rm. 177
Districts
Elections: Pres., V.P., Sec., Treas.,
4 E-Board
District 2
May 17 Nominations: 6-6:15 p.m.
Election: 6:30-6:45 p.m.
AFSCME Council 8, 1213 Tennessee Ave.,
Cincinnati
Elections: Pres., V.P., Sec., Treas.,
5 E-Board
District 3
Jul. 7 Meeting: 7 p.m.
IAM Local Lodge #1297, 930 Grove Ave.,
Ashland
District 5
May 18 Meeting: 6:30 p.m.
Jun. 29
Jul. 27
Aug. 31
Theo's Restaurant, 632 Wheeling Ave.,
Cambridge
Meeting: 6:30 p.m.
Theo's Restaurant, 632 Wheeling Ave.,
Cambridge
Meeting: 6:30 p.m.
Theo's Restaurant, 632 Wheeling Ave.,
Cambridge
Meeting: 6:30 p.m.
Theo's Restaurant, 632 Wheeling Ave.,
Cambridge
District 9
May 18 Meeting: 6:30 p.m.
Jul. 20
Gatti's Pizza, 1658 Eleventh St.,
Portsmouth
Meeting: 6:30 p.m.
Dakota's Roadhouse, 760 W Emmitt Ave.,
Waverly
Submitting A Meeting Notice
Issue: Summer 2011
Last Day to Submit Notice: July 18, 2011
Earliest 15-day Meeting Date: Sept. 6, 2011
Issue: Fall 2011
Last Day to Submit Notice: Sept. 26, 2011
Earliest 15-day Meeting Date: Nov. 15, 2011
Meeting and election notices should be
mailed to IT Secretary Sha Cone, OCSEA 390
Worthington Rd., Suite A, Westerville, OH 43082,
faxed to 614-865-4032. To schedule online, go to
ocsea.org/meetingnotices
Chapters
1810 (see page 21 for Convention delegate election)
May 24 Election: 4:15-6:30 p.m.
Maple Hts. Library, Room #3,
5225 Library Ln., Maple Hts.
Elections: Pres., 1st V.P., 2nd V.P.,
Sec., Treas., 4 E-Board, Assembly &
District delegates
2100 (see page 21 for Convention delegate election)
Jul. 13 Nominations: 5:15-5:25 p.m.
Election: 5:26-5:46 p.m.
ODOT- Columbus Pike Conference Room,
400 E. William St., Delaware
Elections: Pres., V.P., Sec., Treas., 5
E-Board, Assembly, 2 District plus 1
alt. & Convention delegates
2320
Jun. 6
Aug. 1
Sep. 13
2599
Jul. 13
Jul. 14
4220 (see page 21 for Convention delegate election)
Aug. 9
Sep. 13
Meeting: 6:30 p.m.
Liberty Bell Restaurant, 102 North Board
St., Bremen
Meeting: 6:30 p.m.
Liberty Bell Restaurant, 102 North Board
St., Bremen
Meeting: 6:30 p.m.
Liberty Bell Restaurant, 102 North Board
St., Bremen
Executive Meeting: 5 p.m.
A129 or A103, 4020 E. 5 th St., Columbus
Meeting: 5:30 p.m.
M146, 30 E. Broad St., Columbus
Nominations: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
MVDC PH&E, Rm. 213,
1250 Vernonview Dr., Mt. Vernon
Election: 6-7:30 a.m.
Election: 1:30-4:30 p.m.
OCSEA Union Office,
1250 Vernonview Dr., Mt. Vernon
Elections: Pres., 2 V.P., Sec., Treas., 5
E-Board, Assembly & District
delegates
5040 (see page 21 for Convention delegate election)
May 17
May 31
Nominations: 1:30-2 p.m.
Meeting: 2 p.m.
Iron Skillet Restaurant (Inside the Petro
Truck Stop), Youngstown Rd., Salt Springs
Election: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
YDC, CA Building in front of Switchboard
Elections: Pres., V.P., Sec., Treas., 3
E-Board, Assembly, District &
Convention delegates
CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY: Per the subordinate
body Constitution Article VI, Section 8: “Circumstances
such as receipt of workers’ compensation
benefits, disability benefits, assignment to project
staff, etc. may affect your eligibility to run for
office in this election. If you are considering
running for any office, executive board, or a
delegate position, please contact OCSEA central
office prior to the nomination date.”
5410
Jun. 13
Sep. 12
6000
May 25
7010
Jul. 21
Meeting: 4:30 p.m.
Korner Kafe, Intersection of SR 119
and SR 716, Maria Stein
Meeting: 4:30 p.m.
Korner Kafe, Intersection of SR 119
and SR 716, Maria Stein
Meeting: 6:30 p.m.
Nominations: 6:45-7 p.m.
Election: 7-7:30 p.m.
Golden Corral,
1586 Northpointe Rd., Zanesville
Elections: Pres., V.P., Sec., Treas., 3
E-Board, Assembly & District
E-Board: 6:30 p.m.
Meeting: 8 p.m.
USW 169 Union Hall,
376 West Longview Ave., Mansfield
7500 (see page 21 for Convention delegate election)
May 24
Jul. 26
Aug. 23
Sep. 27
7760
Jul. 6
Aug. 3
Sep. 7
E-Board: 5:30 p.m.
Meeting: 6 p.m.
Sidney Inn (Formerly Quality Inn),
400 Folkerth Ave., Sidney
E-Board: 5:30 p.m.
Meeting: 6 p.m.
Sidney Inn (Formerly Quality Inn),
400 Folkerth Ave., Sidney
E-Board: 5:30 p.m.
Meeting: 6 p.m.
Sidney Inn (Formerly Quality Inn),
400 Folkerth Ave., Sidney
Meeting: 5:30 p.m.
Nominations: 6:30-6:45 p.m.
Election: 6:45-7 p.m.
Sidney Inn (Formerly Quality Inn),
400 Folkerth Ave., Sidney
Elections: Pres., V.P., Sec., Treas., 3
E-Board, 2 Assembly, 2 District &
AFL-CIO delegates
E-Board: 12 p.m.
DERR Conference Room,
2110 E. Aurora Rd., SR 82, Twinsburg
E-Board: 12 p.m.
DERR Conference Room,
2110 E. Aurora Rd., SR 82, Twinsburg
E-Board: 12 p.m.
DERR Conference Room,
2110 E. Aurora Rd., SR 82, Twinsburg
* See page 21 for
Convention Delegate
Election notices.
20 Public Employee Quarterly Spring 2011

CHAPTER DELEGATE ELECTION NOTICE
2011 BIENNIAL CONVENTION
The 2011 OCSEA Biennial Convention will be held Aug. 25-27 at the Greater
Columbus Convention Center. Each chapter is entitled to send their President
as a delegate-at-large. Additional delegates and alternates are to be elected by
the body based on chapter membership. District Council and Assembly
Presidents are also delegates-at-large to the convention, as are members of the
OCSEA Board of Directors.
Pursuant to Article IX, Section 1(C) of the OCSEA Constitution, the final
official delegate count for chapters will be determined on June 24. Chapters are
required to hold elections to elect their delegates. Chapters must provide by
mail a written election notice to all members 15 days prior to the event. For the
chapters below, this magazine listing constitutes their 15-day meeting notice.
To be a delegate or an alternate, you must have been an OCSEA member for at
least two (2) continuous years.
Chap. 1810
Date May 31
Time Nominations: 6-6:10 p.m.
Election: 6:15-6:30 p.m.
Location Maple Hts. Library,
5225 Library Ln., Maple Hts.
Chap. 2100
Date
Time
Location
Chap. 2525
Date May 18
Time Nominations: noon-12:30 p.m.
Location 30 W Spring St., Level 3 Training
Room B, Columbus
Date
Time
Location
July 13
Nominations: 5:15-5:25 p.m.
Election: 5:26-5:46 p.m.
ODOT - Columbus Pike Conference
Room, 400 E. William St.,
Delaware
Chap. 2503
Date May 24
Time Nominations: 11 a.m.-noon
Election: 12:30-2 p.m.
Location Room T3-5 3rd Floor, 1970 W.
Broad St., Columbus
Chap. 2505
Date May 19
Time Nominations: 3-4 p.m.
Election: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Location Room T3-5 3rd Floor, 1970 W.
Broad St., Columbus
Chap. 2513
Date June 15
Time Nominations: 5:15-5:30 p.m.
Election: 5:30-6 p.m.
Location ODOT Central Office, 1980 W.
Broad St., Columbus
June 14
Election: 7-9 a.m. &
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. &
3:30-5:30 p.m.
30 W Spring St., Level 3 Training
Room B, Columbus
Chap. 2535
Date May 18
Time Nominations: 11:30 a.m.-noon
Election: noon-12:45 p.m.
Location William Green Bldg, Training Rm.
D, 30 W. Spring St., Columbus
Chap. 2538
Date
Time
Location
Chap. 2570
Date June 21
Time Nominations: 5:45-6:15 p.m.
Election: 6:30-7 p.m.
Location DAS, 2080 Integrity Dr. N,
Columbus
Chap. 2595
Date July 14
Time Meeting: 6 p.m.
Nominations: 6:30-7 p.m.
Election: 7:15-7:45 p.m.
Location OCSEA, Bowman Room, 390
Worthington Rd., Westerville
Chap. 3020
Date May 24
Time Nominations: 7:30-7:45 a.m. &
1:30-1:45 p.m. &
3-3:15 p.m.
Location Dietary Building,
66737 Old Twenty-One Rd.,
Cambridge
Date
Time
Location
May 18
Nominations: 11:30 a.m.-noon
Election: noon-12:30 p.m.
RSC, 400 E Campus View Blvd.,
Columbus
Chap. 2565
Date May 25
Time Nominations: noon-1 p.m.
Location Ohio Department of Education,
Basement Lecture Hall, Columbus
Date
Time
Location
June 22
Election: noon-1 p.m.
Ohio Department of Education,
Basement Lecture Hall, Columbus
June 21
Election: 7:30-8 a.m. &
1:30-2 p.m. &
3-3:30 p.m.
Dietary Building,
66737 Old Twenty-One Rd.,
Cambridge
Chap. 4220
Date May 24
Time Nominations: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Location MVDC Room 213,
1250 Vernonview Dr., Mt. Vernon
Date
Time
Location
June 14
Election: 6-7:30 a.m. &
1:30-4:30 p.m.
OCSEA Union Office, 1250
Vernonview Dr., Mt. Vernon
Chap. 5040
Date May 17
Time Nominations: 1:30-2 p.m.
Location Iron Skillet Restaurant,
Date
Time
Location
Chap. 5100
Date
Time
Location
Chap. 7500
Date
Time
Location
Youngstown Rd., Salt Springs
May 31
Election: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
YDC, CA Building (in front of
Switchboard)
July 12
E-board: 4 p.m.
Nominations: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Election: 5:30-6 p.m.
Marion ODOT, 1775 Marion
Williamsport Rd., Marion
June 28
E-board: 5:30 p.m.
Meeting: 6 p.m.
Nominations: 6:30-6:40 p.m.
Election: 6:40-6:50 p.m.
Sidney Inn (Formerly Quality
Inn), 400 Folkerth Ave., Sidney
Chap. 7700
Date June 8
Time Nominations: 5:45-5:55 p.m.
Election: 5:55-6:05 p.m.
Location 690 W. Waterloo Rd., Akron,
Chap. 7715
Date July 20
Time Nominations: 3:45-4 p.m.
Location NBH-Northfield, Mckee Auditorium,
1756 Sagamore Rd.,
Northfield
Date
Time
Location
July 21
Election: 7-8 a.m. &
2:30-3:45 p.m.
NBH-Northfield, Mckee Auditorium,
1756 Sagamore Rd.,
Northfield
Spring 2011 Public Employee Quarterly 21

FIGHT BACK NOW...
Next Steps
Activists prepare for the big fight
Angry about the war on working
people and ready to do something
about it, a record 600
OCSEA activists attended OCSEA’s Fight
Back Now…Next Steps event on April 2 in
downtown Columbus.
Attendees got the latest news on the
referendum campaign to repeal Senate
Bill 5 and also learned about attacks on
the middle class via budget cuts, pension
“reform”
and more.
Activists viewed a timeline on referendum
activities, were encouraged to sign up
to be petition circulators and re-evaluated
their chapter plans to mobilize membership in the upcoming fight.
Guest speaker Sen. Nina Turner, a crowd-favorite, got attendees pumped
up and showed her complete support for the citizen’s veto campaign to
repeal SB 5. She also reminded activists of the power they have to vote out
anti-worker politicians in elections to come, including those who voted in
favor of SB 5.
Attendees asked questions of a panel of OCSEA experts that were specific
to the referendum, budget cuts and pension proposals. While the panel tried
to answer as many questions as possible during the session, time did not allow
every question submitted to be answered. As a result, OCSEA staff have compiled
some of those unanswered questions and developed a Q&A, which can
be found on page 14 of this publication.
(Below) Members dance and cheer as they welcome speakers to the stage.
(Above) Senator Nina Turner
fires up the crowd with her
energetic speech, ‘For Real,
For Real.’
(Left) OCSEA Pres. Eddie
Parks addresses the Fight
Back Now attendees
alongside Sec.-Treas.
Kathy Stewart and
Vice Pres. Chris Mabe.
(Above) Members, including Ross Correctional
Chap. 7130’s Christina Minney, are enthusiastic
about signing up for PEOPLE cards to help with the
SB 5 repeal.
(Below) More than 600 members learn about the referendum
process and many volunteer to circulate petitions.
22 Public Employee Quarterly
Spring 2011

at CMCA
Attendees at this year’s OCSEA Committee for Minority and Community
Affairs conference “Kept It Real” by hitting on the hard issues facing public
employees, the impact on minorities – and their toughest battle yet: SB 5.
Special guest speakers included Sen. Nina Turner and Columbus Mayor Michael
Coleman, who spoke about the legislative attacks that will impact not only minorities,
but every working class person in Ohio.
During the action-packed weekend, activists braved the cold and took to the
Statehouse lawn with other union brothers and sisters in a rally against SB 5.
(Above) Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman
encourages activists in their battle against SB
5 and other attacks on working people and
minorities. CMCA Co-chair Louella Jeter (left)
takes in his message.
(Left) CMCA Chair Michelle
Hunter opens the conference
and talks about the need to get
involved now more than ever.
(Right) CMCA attendees take
some time from the conference
to join an activists rally against
SB 5 at the Statehouse.
OCSEAVotes.org
Want to know what you can do
to repeal SB 5?
Confused about the referendum?
OCSEAVotes.org is once again your
headquarters for all the news, events
and resources you need including:
• Flyers
• Referendum events around the state
• Petition circulator sign up and training dates
• Email and text alert sign up
• Videos
• Phone banking opportunities
and more
Spring 2011 Public Employee Quarterly 23

LOCAL
AFL-CIO
Ohio Civil Service
Employees Association
390 Worthington Road, Ste. A
Westerville, OH 43082-8331
COVER STORY
PUBLIC EMPLOYEE QUARTERLY
S P R I N G 2 0 1 1
feature stories
2 Repeal – Here we come!
3
SB 5 will have its day at voting booth
17
Referendum & Senate Bill 5
4-5 What is a referendum and what’s in SB 5? 20
departments
FROM THE PRESIDENT
AROUND THE UNION
MEETING NOTICES
6-7
How Ohio communities lose with prison “fire sale”
12-13
10-11
OCSEA members
tell their story
Hometown Heroes
Activists take fight to communities
16
Businesses show support
Proud Ohio Worker program highlights
17- 21
2011 BIENNIAL
Convention News
22-23
FIGHT BACK NOW
and CMCA highlights