The second day of convention was another action-packed day. The convention started out with a bang with some true heroes of labor. Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga and AFSCME International President Lee Saunders were the morning's special guests. Both are fan favorites with union activists, not only for their straightforward talk, but for their grit and determination that keeps unions strong in Ohio and across our country.
Pres. Burga thanked OCSEA members for all they do to keep Ohio safe and moving. He passed along a union strong message as we head into bargaining later this year: "You need a damn good contract, and that's worth fighting for."
Both Pres. Burga and Pres. Saunders, a former OCSEA member, talked about the power of union members being a tour de force at the polls and around issues that impact public workers, their unions and the democracy we all celebrate. This includes the recent defeat of the Issue 1 attack on Ohio democracy which was led by a united labor front in Ohio. "Issue 1 was an opportunity to unite labor here," said Burga, "And we are united as one of the strongest entities in the state."
"Forty years ago we didn't have a voice at the table, but we do now, and it needs to be protected," said Pres. Saunders who was at the very first OCSEA bargaining table after Gov. Dick Celeste signed the bill into law in 1983. He couldn't be more proud to have been a part of union history that continues this week.
But he warns, that everything we fight for could be taken from us if we don't fight to protect it. “The ambush could come at anytime because there are so many groups who want to take everything away from you, take away your seat at the table. They want to take that power away from you. But we can't let them,” said Saunders.
The power of bargaining was on full display during an afternoon panel discussion. Delegates were introduced to three activists who know what it’s like to organize their workplaces. Guests discussing their organizing successes and challenges included Kyle Stoller from the Franklin County Public Defenders Office; Jo Snyder, from the Wexner Center for the Arts; and Zach Frye from the Legal Aid Society of Cincinnati.
"These are people who took a huge leap of faith at great personal cost," said OCSEA Pres. Chris Mabe. "But they knew that having a union in their workplace was key to having a voice on the job," he said.
The panel discussed how they were each able to energize their members to organize for the first time ever. Some of the tools they utilized included activating Member Action Teams to map their workplaces as well as keeping members mobilized during "down" time by reaching out just to touch base. Moderator Luke Ward from AFSCME Ohio Council 8 told delegates that there are important lessons to be learned from the newly organized that can apply to OCSEA chapters who have had collective bargaining for decades.
Down to Business
In the afternoon, delegates got down to business by adopting eight resolutions including ones recommitting to New Employee Orientation, celebrating 40 years of collective bargaining, electing labor-friendly candidates, fighting public sector attacks, standing up to privatization and others. Go here for a complete list of adopted resolutions HERE.
Additionally delegates took up a constitutional amendment giving the Judicial and Internal Affairs Committee (JIAC) the ability to explore and recommend electronic or phone voting that will allow greater participation. Another amendment clarified members must utilize the chapter transfer form if they are seeking to transfer to another chapter. Other housekeeping changes were proposed and accepted by the delegates.
