As the new year begins at the Ohio Statehouse, so do the attacks against public workers and their hard-earned benefits. Legislation that could seriously impact public employee sick day allowances as well as vision, dental and life insurance benefits for public employees have been assigned to legislative committees. Both pieces of legislation are sponsored by anti-union Republican Rep. Derek Merrin.
Call your state legislator at 800-282-0253 and say: LEAVE MY BENEFITS ALONE!
Sick Leave
Ohio House Bill 298 would reduce the allowable sick leave days for public employees to no more than 10 days per year. This would have severe impact on OCSEA local government union members who often bargain additional sick leave days as a perk when wage increases or other benefits are not available to them.
"Merrick calls 10 days a 'standard,' we call it an attack on collective bargaining! Putting a cap on sick leave is no more than putting a cap on collective bargaining," said OCSEA President Chris Mabe.
Sign the petition to protect sick leave.
Dental, vision and life
Ohio House Bill 169 would require a premium payment for dental, vision and life insurance for exempt state employees. The bill also requires the state to negotiate the same increase for those that fall under state collective bargaining agreements, including OCSEA bargaining unit members.