Union prepares to fight budget cuts

Feb. 14, 2008 - Still reeling from the announcement that 2,700 state jobs could be cut, two mental health hospitals will close and 190 Developmental Center beds will be eliminated, OCSEA leaders are putting together the pieces and data to start fighting the proposed job cuts and program eliminations that could come as soon as July 1 of this year.

Gov. Strickland and his officials met with OCSEA leaders and staff over the last two weeks to address union concerns after the announcement that state revenues could be off by as much as $1.9 billion by next July 2009.

Although the announced cuts will affect a broad range of departments, the agencies most affected will be those relying on federal Medicaid money, including the Departments of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Job and Family Services. But cuts in other agencies will occur as well, including in DR&C Central Office.

The union is waiting for additional revenue and expenditure data from management, plus reports on attrition rates and numbers of employees who qualify for early retirement.

OCSEA President Eddie Parks, in consultation with assembly and chapter leaders, also has formed a special committee from members of the Board of Directors to develop alternatives.

The union wants to make sure that direct services are not cut and is proposing the use of alternative sources of revenue to plug the $1.9 billion dollar hole, including tapping into the state’s Rainy Day Fund, setting aside full implementation of a tax reform measure that has decreased tax revenue collections.

Union leaders also are waiting on reports that would show whether front line employees will be asked to share an unfair portion of job eliminations.

“Previous administrations have protected and even increased management positions during budget crunches,” said Parks.

Executive Director Andy Douglas noted that union research shows that state government has a bloated middle management structure.

“Supervisor-to-staff ratios have grown and eclipsed those found in the private sector. To be fair, Gov. Strickland promised us that the job cuts would be weighted towards supervisors, but we have a responsibility to confirm and monitor those plans,” said Douglas.

According to Parks, the union will also be examining whether the plans contain unintended consequences.

“Early retirement incentives, for example, could cause an unanticipated flight of skilled workers. If something like this happens in the Department of Mental Health, state officials might suddenly find themselves without enough staff to safely operate the Dayton facility until the planned closing date,” he warned.

OCSEA also wants to see evidence that the use of private contractors will be curtailed.

“Gov. Strickland and his staff promised that all private contracts would be examined. They should be. One research group, Policy Matters Ohio, noted that between 1991 and 2001, the value of personal service contracts with the state tripled. Millions of dollars are being lost to unmonitored contracts and now is the time to get serious about reining them in,” said Douglas.

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