AFSCME Affiliation

Even before 1983, OCSEA leaders had the foresight to see that collective bargaining was coming and that the association would need additional support to make the transition to a new era.

In 1982, OCSEA investigated several of the United States' leading unions including the Teamsters, SEIU, AFGE and CWA. Eventually, OCSEA decided on AFSCME, which had superior public employee experience and the ability to permit a large degree of autonomy for its affiliates. OCSEA formally affiliated with AFSCME on May 14, 1983.

After OCSEA members won the right to collective bargaining, they embarked on one of the largest organizing drives in union history. In April, 1984, OCSEA was the first union that formally filed to represent state employees, submitting petitions to represent over 40,000 workers.

OCSEA/AFSCME led the first large-scale organizing campaign in the nation to use TV and radio advertising, opinion surveys, "focus groups" and direct mail to convey that OCSEA was "The Strongest Voice for State Employees Rights."

Although other unions also sought to represent state workers, OCSEA/AFSCME emerged as the clear winner. In 1986, OCSEA entered the first state-wide contract negotiations affecting over 32,000 employees. The first contract went into effect that year.