Members of SEIU District 1199 are eligible for a free college benefit with Eastern Gateway Community College. This benefit is open to eligible members, retirees, and their families. Eastern Gateway Community College is also a part of the University System of Ohio.
This program fills the gap between federal, state, or employer education grants the student receives and the cost of tuition, fees, and e-books for some online programs. It is open to eligible members and retirees, in addition to spouses, domestic partners, children, grandchildren, and dependents.
The following programs are now being offered:
• Associates Degree – Accounting, Business Management, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Individualized Study, and Paralegal.
• Certificate – Business Management and Patient Home Navigator.
For more information and to enroll, visit SEIU Member Benefits. Apply today.
If you or a family member need health care coverage for 2019, don’t forget to enroll. There are affordable plans but without a qualifying event, you must signup by December 15th. Eight in ten people qualify for financial help. Share this message with family and friends.
SEIU District 1199 would like to express a heartfelt THANK YOU to all veterans. We are proud of all of our member veterans and thank all veterans for their dedication to this great country.
On Behalf of SEIU District 1199 and our staff, thank you to all veterans and their families for your service and sacrifice.
In August, a State of Ohio medical doctor and SEIU District 1199 member, gathered documentation and submitted a formal grievance relating to the use of the MyAvatar electronic health record (EHR) system by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
The doctor documented her concerns about the potential for errors under the new system. She then took action through the Union to bring the documentation to the attention of administrators with ODMHAS. With concern for her patients and those served by the State of Ohio, a formal class action grievance was filed.
In October, it was announced that upon careful review, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addition Services, would be moving away from MyAvatar, and resuming the use of legacy systems. A full announcement and memorandum from ODMHAS Director Dr. Mark Hurst details the change.
To have a union is to have a powerful voice. Thank you to the dedicated members and staff with the State of Ohio who work each day to provide the best possible care for those they serve. We are stronger together.
Our mission is to improve the lives of working people and their families and to achieve greater social and economic justice. If you share our vision for a more just society, please sign up for email updates here.
Members with the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction do critical work to ensure the health and safety of both the public and the inmate population. Uniting with fellow co-workers and the Union, members in recent weeks have reached the satisfactory resolution of claims relating to overtime, continuing education, and other workplace issues.
• A member had to forgo a day of work for reasons that were not justified. She worked with the Union and was granted compensatory hours.
• A member was accused of improperly treating an inmate. It was showed that the member followed protocol and should not have been terminated. The individual resigned and received satisfactory resolution, which was a significant settlement.
• A member was skipped for an overtime assignment, which was a contract violation. The member teamed up with the Union, received an agreement with the agency, and was given another opportunity.
• A member missed more than one overtime opportunity and did not receive help from management in reaching resolution. Like the member listed above, working together, the issue was quickly resolved.
• A member was denied administrative leave needed to get additional continuing education credits to maintain licensure as a Registered Nurse. A request to attend a health care related workshop was granted after the member joined with the Union to seek resolution.
These dedicated members and others continue to show the importance of collective bargaining and the state contract. If you have a contact related issue at work, don’t hesitate to contact the Member Resource Center. We are stronger together.
For details on the upcoming contract ratification vote, a schedule has now been posted here: State Contract Ratification Vote Schedule. Please do not hesitate to contact the Member Resource Center if you have any questions.
There’s also an update here on the tentative agreement reached with the state.
Just before the stroke of midnight, our SEIU District 1199 Bargaining Committee reached a tentative agreement with the State of Ohio for a new, three-year agreement that which will guarantee wage increases, protect health insurance and many other big wins including an unprecedented ratification bonus for our Union Members.
We are putting together a complete summary of everything included in the tentative agreement, but here are some major highlights:
This was a long journey and a tough fight. Your SEIU District 1199 Bargaining Committee really worked exceptionally hard to win these gains for our Union Members. We listened to your concerns and worked diligently to address them both at the main table and during agency-specific bargaining. As many of you already know, the State of Ohio came to bargaining with major concessions and, through our Union, we were able to fight back and avoid the delay and uncertainty of having to take this contract to fact-finding. This should show any nay-sayers out there the real benefit to being a Member of our Union and our ability to win when we stick together.
WHEN DO WE VOTE?
We are working now to finalize the voting schedule and we will share that information with you as soon as we have it. The contract is not finalized until it is ratified by our Union Members and the State Controlling Board.
IMPORTANT NOTE: ONLY UNION MEMBERS CAN VOTE ON THE CONTRACT
If you have not yet signed your membership card, you can do so now by clicking here: https://member.seiu1199.org/
If you are not sure of your membership status, you can contact your Administrative Organizer or call the Member Resource Center at 877-419-7348. Anyone who shows up to vote that has not yet signed a membership card will be required to sign one or they will not be able to vote.
Thank you for your support and solidarity throughout this entire process. And a major thank you to the members of our SEIU District 1199 Bargaining Committee for their diligence and hard work. United we bargain, divided we beg!
Parole Officers work hard every day to keep our communities safe and to ensure that parolees are finding and retaining employment, finding a suitable place to live, getting treatment for any mental health or addiction issues they may have, and generally staying out of trouble.
All too often, Parole Officers enter homes or encounter situations where they come into contact with dangerous substances like heroin and fentanyl. Just touching fentanyl or accidentally inhaling the substance can be fatal for Parole Officers and requires immediate medical attention because of the risk of adverse health effects such as rapid disorientation, coughing, sedation, respiratory distress or cardiac arrest.
In situations like these, Parole Officers must take time off of work for treatment, evaluation and medical follow up. However this is not considered an allowable claim through the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. This creates an undue burden on Parole Officers, forcing them to choose between getting the necessary treatment they need or risking long-term, reoccuring health problems.
Through our Union, we are asking the Ohio Legislature to take up this important issue and to pass a law that would allow all Parole Officers and first responders to be allowed to get the treatment and recovery they need from work-related injuries as a result of coming in contact with dangerous substances like heroin and fentanyl.
State of Ohio workers do exceptional work but often get portrayed in a negative light. We want to bust the myth of State of Ohio workers and show both management and taxpayers that you provide a vital public service, often in under-staffed, over-worked, and stressful situations.
Visit this page for more information on this project and to complete the survey.
Our Ohio State Chapter Bargaining Committee continues to meet with the State’s representatives to bargain our new contract. While scheduled to meet Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of last week, the State cancelled on us Wednesday and used Thursday and Friday to argue semantics and disagree about philosophical issues rather than address the true concerns of us, the members.
Although it was a fight each step of the way, by staying united and working together we were able to reach agreement on many of the current protections in our contract and some non-economic issues, such as non-discrimination, service delivery and disciplinary notices.
We recognize that this has been a long process already but the delay is NOT on the part of our Union. The State has been presented with ALL of our proposals and we are more than ready to negotiate a contract that is fair for the membership and provides the best protections, wages and benefits we can secure. However, high-priced Attorney Dan Guttman and the State’s team have yet to provide us with any economic proposals, including our much-deserved wage increase. Instead, Guttman and his team continue to try to eliminate long-standing contract language that we have fought to secure and protect over the years.
We have scheduled Tuesday, September 4th as our next bargaining session and will determine our course forward after that meeting. Depending on the willingness of the State to bargain in good faith, we will either be on course to finalize an agreement or most likely be headed to fact-finding on September 19th and 20th, with a fact-finder’s report likely sometime in October.
Our Committee is standing strong and we ask that you continue to support us fight for the dignity and respect we all deserve on the job.
In Solidarity,
Our SEIU/1199 Ohio State Chapter Bargaining Committee
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction – A member was denied weekend leave using compensatory time because he would not state the reason. The member filed a grievance through the Union, as providing a reason for such leave is not required. The state then allowed the use of compensatory time and returned the member’s personal leave.
Ohio Department of Health – A member requested leave and was denied by management. The member contacted our Member Resource Center and filed a grievance and leave was granted after it was discovered that ODH did not follow proper procedures for denying the leave.
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction – A member received a written reprimand for reasons that were not justified. Working as a team with their Union Delegate, the member was able to have the reprimand reversed.
Ohio Department of Mental Health – Working with a Union Delegate, a member appealed a three-day working suspension. After meeting with the State, with the support of a mediator, the Union was able to show the State failed to prove just cause and that the member’s testimony was credible. The State reversed the discipline.
Department of Rehabilitation and Correction – A member with the DRC was issued an unjust written warning and contacted her Union Delegate at work. The Delegate helped file a grievance and stood by her at a grievance hearing where they presented the facts and the discipline was reduced to a non-formal, corrective counseling.
Members Win Paid Time for Exam Prep & Testing – Union Members with the State of Ohio take great pride in providing high-quality health care and work hard every day. Recently, a group of Union Members united to file a class-action grievance out of concern that time needed to study for an upcoming annual exam would detract from patient care. As a result of their efforts, Members are being provided with 8 hours of relief from regular duties to complete important education and the requisite testing.
Surveyors with the Ohio Department of Health do critical work to ensure health, safety, and the quality of care across the state. Department of Health workers are having tremendous difficulty with mandation and vacation time.
The Union is working on an aggressive strategy to make sure these concerns are heard by the state and bring resolution to the grievances brought by members. In May, Ohio State Representative Brigid Kelly met with members of the Union and reached out to leaders with the Ohio Department of Health. Efforts to meet with agency leaders have been unsuccessful.
Representative Brigid Kelly continues to stand with Department of Health workers. Arbitration has now been scheduled for September 25th, 2018. This arbitration will further advance the concerns of members and has potential for a favorable outcome.
Alongside members, we are diligently working to advance the concerns of workers with the Ohio Department of Health. We are confident that when the facts are fully presented, the voices of state workers will prevail. We are stronger together.
Members with the State of Ohio have an obligation to provide quality health care and a safe environment. Each year health care members at a state facility also complete an annual exam that requires training and preparation.
The members at this facility recently stood together to file a class action grievance out of concern that time needed to study for the exam would detract from patient care. As a result of their efforts, members are being provided with 8 hours of relief from regular duties to complete important education and the requisite testing.
The stand taken by these workers ensures proper training, a safe environment, and the best possible patient care. The effort also shows the importance of their voice in the workplace and that by standing united, they were able to reach the best possible outcome. We are stronger together.
State of Ohio Contract Negotiations Bargaining Update
State Chapter Newsletter | July 31, 2018
Last week, SEIU District 1199 President Becky Williams, Secretary-Treasurer Kathy McCormick, Public Affairs Director Anthony Caldwell and our Membership Coordinator Lisa Hetrick joined our bargaining committee to check-in on the progress of negotiations and update our Bargaining Team on the great work our Union is doing to improve representation, increase membership support and push the Regan-Tokes and 25 and out legislation for APA members.
IMPROVING REPRESENTATION
Designated Grievance Support Team: Our Union created a Member Resource Center (MRC), which added six (6) additional staff to defend our Union contract and file charges against the State when they violate labor laws. President Williams enrolled the State of Ohio members into the MRC first and since that date the MRC has helped our Delegates process 283 Grievances and of those grievances filed;
The State Bargaining Committee identified areas to further improve the MRC and those changes are being implemented now.
Last week, we continued our negotiations with the State of Ohio where our SEIU/1199 negotiating committee has now presented the state with all of our economic proposals and continued discussions regarding the non-economic proposals that remain unresolved.
We are making progress on some of the language changes we demanded and our negotiating committee continues to stand strong on the issues that matter to you and your family. However, state negotiators continue to disregard your concerns.
That’s why now is the time to show your support for our new contract and our Union. Wear your “Union Strong” buttons and stickers to work, put on your “Together We Rise” name badge pullies and reach out to your bargaining committee members and tell them you have their back as well.
We have negotiations scheduled for three back-to-back sessions on August 15, 16, and 17. We remain hopeful that we will be able to reach agreement, but your support and solidarity will help us win on those issues that matter most to you.
If we are unable to reach a full agreement we anticipate heading to Fact Finding with Arbitrator Rob Stein.
In Solidarity,
Our SEIU/1199 Bargaining Committee
Our SEIU/1199 bargaining committee has been preparing for negotiations with the State of Ohio since early this year.
We elected our committee, trained our team, researched the financial data of each state agency and prepared our proposals long ago to be ready to achieve the best contract possible for our Union members.
But then there is the State of Ohio…
Despite having an entire Office of Collective Bargaining, numerous lawyers for each state agency and labor relations officers, the State of Ohio has put Dan Guttman of the high-priced law firm BakerHostetler in charge of bargaining on the behalf of management.
Their strategy: Delay, delay, delay.
We will not allow their tactics to divide us from our ultimate goal of securing a contract that improves the lives of our members and their families.
They say “one day longer” and we get “one day stronger.”
State of Ohio members have been standing together to win favorable outcomes. These members with the State of Ohio bring a great deal of dedication to their work on behalf of the public. Below are some of the recent victories:
To stand together, members with SEIU District 1199 WV/KY/OH can now request buttons and household decals. You can contact the Member Resource Center with a request for you, your coworkers, and/or everyone at your worksite.
If you are a member of SEIU District 1199 WV/KY/OH, call 877-419-SEIU, email mrc@seiu1199.org, or you can make your request online with the Member Resource Center. We are stronger together.
SEIU District 1199 recently learned that human resources with the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Department of Aging will merge. The change does not include merging any bargaining unit employees.
According to a notice sent by the State of Ohio, in July, three HR employees with the Department of Aging will move into the HR office for the Department of Health at 246 North High. The State of Ohio says that the merger is part of an effort to find ways for the agencies to collaborate but there is no plan to merge the two agencies.
We will monitor this issue and let members know about any further changes. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.
