ODOT Assembly meets to hear report on NASHTU, convention, others

May 21, 2009 - The ODOT Assembly met Saturday, May 16 to make plans for the upcoming OCSEA/AFSCME 28th biennial convention, taking place Aug. 13-15 in Cincinnati this year.
Assembly Pres. Willa O’Neill will be attending as a delegate from the assembly.

At the meeting she asked for input from members about issues the body may wish to address at convention. The deadline to do so is June 19. It was suggested the assembly team up with other agency assemblies to seek an increase in the amount given to pay out mileage in order to expand the realm of events members may attend and represent their brothers and sisters.

Those who went to Washington, D.C. to attend the National Association of State Highway and Transportation Unions, or NASHTU, heard other state transportation departments discuss the concessions their unions had been forced to make, and most were much more detrimental than Ohio’s.

“Many are facing layoffs,” said Richard Stoudt, who bargained for ODOT’s agency-specific contract. “Many are being furloughed 24 days. We had the Cadillac of contracts after we heard everyone else’s reports.”

O’Neill also brought up the recent discussion taking place about centralizing the state’s print shop and mailroom operations to the Department of Administrative Services as a possible cost-saving measure, as proposed by the cost-saving committee. While O’Neill said members are being given more of a voice than ever before, and that the committee has been accepting their recommendations, she is not in favor of this particular measure.

“It’s not going to save money, and we know that from past experience,” she said. “We are asking Pres. Eddie Parks to meet with the governor about this bad business decision, and we are armed with all the information we can get to save our services in ODOT.”

The assembly also discussed the cost-savings days, which management is supposed to have arranged for the next year by July 1. ODOT will not be exercising its right to black out days, as agreed by labor and management. Members will pick their own days.

“They are trying to make this as painless as possible,” said O’Neill. If any member has trouble doing so, he or she is encouraged to speak to O’Neill and human resources. Many are considering the benefits of banking vacation time, using cost-savings days instead, and getting paid back for that time at a higher rate down the road.

An update was given on the Building Union Power conference, at which ODOT was given two High Performance Initiative Awards. The assembly was recognized for demonstrating exceptional internal organizing, and Chap. 1804 was recognized for their communications initiative.

See Related

Union ODOT Toolbox

OCSEA Biennial Convention

Contract Resources