Union raises safety, taxpayer impact of DR&C food service ... - OCSEA

July 5, 2013
VOL. 23 • ISSUE 5
Ohio Civil Service Employees Association
AFSCME • Local 11 • AFL-CIO
390 Worthington Road, Ste. A
Westerville, OH 43082-8331
Union raises safety, taxpayer impact of prison food service
privatization
Ohio House takes step toward a safer ODOT
OCSEA waives Convention registration fee
Working Families Festival is July 20
Attend an important OCSEA event, conference
OCSEA wins seat on Violence Reduction Oversight Committee
Working Families Festival is July 20
Summer will be here before we
know it, and with that comes the
annual OCSEA Working Families
Festival. On July 20, OCSEA will
once again honor its activists
with a day dedicated to them and
their families. OCSEA is also celebrating 75 years
of OCSEA fighting hard for the middle class. Mark
your calendars now to attend! The event will take
place from noon-5 p.m. at OCSEA Headquarters.
Register online at ocsea.org/workingfamfest.
Union Benefits Trust to hold open house
In addition to music, food and fun, visit the Union Benefits Trust Open House
at the Working Families Festival to celebrate 20 years of quality services to unionrepresented
State of Ohio employees. The event will include the Mammogram
Bus, a health fair with screenings for blood pressure, vision and BMI, an
opportunity for members to determine beneficiary designation, fun games, like
UBT Pong, prizes from vendors and much more.
Nominate a child who gives back
Once again, OCSEA is honoring the children who give back to their
communities and contribute to unionism. Go to ocsea.org/workingfamfest
to nominate a child or grandchild of an OCSEA member who has volunteered in
their communities or made contributions to OCSEA and/or the labor movement.
Applications must be received by July 12. Nominees will be honored at the
Working Families Festival.
Save the Date!
Attend an important OCSEA event, conference
There are several conferences and events coming up that activists and
members are encouraged to attend. View the OCSEA Calendar at ocsea.org
for more information on registration.
District 6 Leadership Retreat – July 9, 11, 16 & 18 – Columbus
Retiree Chapter Bar-B-Que – July 13 – Mansfield
Working Families Festival – July 20 – Columbus
Local Government Conference – July 27 – Columbus
30 th Biennial Convention – Aug. 22-24 – Cleveland
Steward Conference – Oct. 5 – Columbus
Veterans Conference – Oct. 11-12 – Cincinnati
of
OCSEA wins seat on Violence Reduction
Oversight Committee
OCSEA is pleased to announce a big win! OCSEA members in the Dept.
of Rehabilitation and Correction will have a seat on the statewide Violence
Reduction Oversight Committee. Until now, the process improvement team has
excluded OCSEA bargaining unit members who work in Ohio’s prisons.
“The best way to reduce violence in our prisons it is to work with the men
and women who are on the front lines,” said OCSEA President Chris Mabe.
“Having a seat will allow us to create a safer and more secure environment.”
Ohio State Senator Tim Schaffer was instrumental in bringing OCSEA to
the table and is committed to working with OCSEA to reduce violence in
all institutions. Sen. Schaffer has also introduced another important piece of
legislation, SB 147, to increase penalties for assaulting corrections or youth
services staff. Tell him thank you at ocsea.org/thanks.
(From Food Service on front)
OCSEA leaders are also speaking up about the impact this could have on local
communities. “It’s going to affect employment. It’s going to affect our security
issues,” Luke Vansickle, Southern Ohio Correctional Facility Chap. 7330 President
told the Portsmouth Daily Times.
“Food service is a vitally important part of running a prison,” said OCSEA
Corrections Assembly President James Adkins. “Our prisons are already
overcrowded and understaffed. We can’t afford to lose any more trained and
experienced staff.”
While no rationale was given, OCSEA can only speculate why DYS chose to
keep the service in-house. “Here we have two agencies with many of the same
problems with violence, yet one chose to keep food service public and to focus
on solving those problems and one chose to ignore those problems and make a
huge system change despite them,” said DYS Assembly President Annie Person.
“If it ain’t broken. Don’t fix it!”
(From Convention on front)
Get a good laugh on Thursday night
Throw back and have some laughs Thursday evening with the captivating
comedy and hilarious impressions of Jim Grossett. While other comedians recycle
“stock” jokes, Jim takes his inspiration from the events of the day, adds his special
brand of magic and delivers a performance so up-to-the-minute, it’s no wonder
his material often appears in the monologues of The Tonight Show and The Late
Show with David Letterman. The event begins at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug.
22 and is free to all Convention delegates and their guests.
Friday night event tickets are going fast
As a part of convention registration, delegates should indicate which special
event they will attend on Friday, Aug. 23. Convention delegates can choose from
a Cleveland Indians game OR a party cruise aboard the Good Time III. Events will
sell out quickly. Once they’re gone, no additional tickets will be sold.