If anything constructive has begun to come out of our current pandemic crisis, it's been the positive spotlight on public services and the essential duties and expertise of our public employee union members who serve and protect Ohioans every day, crisis or not.
Every day at 2 p.m., Ohio’s Governor Mike DeWine and members from his cabinet, including Dr. Amy Acton from the Ohio Dept. of Health and Lt. Gov. John Husted, give Ohioans updates on the pandemic. They release data on public health, including deaths, illness and pandemic hot spots. They discuss testing and PPE and the impact on the health care industry. They issue economic impact reports and job losses. They try to build our morale and give us tips on working together to “flatten the curve” through social distancing, good hygiene and patience. And, of course, a major constant at these pressers is the focus on the valuable public services that our sister and brother union members provide.
While the data changes daily during these pandemic briefings, the focus remains invariable: We need public services NOW MORE THAN EVER! Public services by public workers, something that union voices have always championed, are vital to our stability as a state and as a nation. If this pandemic isn’t proof of the significance of public work, we don’t know what is.
From Unemployment Insurance and Workers’ Compensation for out-of-work or injured Ohioans to Ohio’s public prisons and congregate settings for our most vulnerable, the need for quality public services has risen to the top during this crisis, and rightfully so!
This includes brothers and sisters like Donald Pope, an Elyria Customer Service Representative who is working tirelessly every day to help Ohio’s unemployed; Carl VanBibber, a Mansfield Correction Officer who is fighting for the integrity of the union contract while trying to keep his co-workers and community safe; and Christine Richie, a caregiver for the developmentally disabled at the Tiffin Developmental Center. And let’s not forget all those members who are working on COVID-19 testing in the Ohio Dept. of Health and every public employee across the state.
While the data changes daily during these pandemic briefings, the focus remains invariable: We need public services NOW MORE THAN EVER! Public services by public workers, something that union voices have always championed, are vital to our stability as a state and as a nation. If this pandemic isn’t proof of the significance of public work, we don’t know what is.
Public employees and the services they provide are so valuable right now (life-saving, even) and will be key to rebuilding our state and our nation in crisis and reigniting our economy. We hope, as Ohioans begin to rediscover the true worth of public service during these briefings, that every elected official, leader or director will make it their top priority to invest in quality public services, their workers and the infrastructure that powers the public work on which so many Ohioans depend.
We won’t be facing this pandemic forever. We will return to a new normal eventually and life, in general, will go on. But if we learn any lesson, hopefully it’s the importance of public work and the often-unseen public helpers who make our state go ‘round. So, next time you drive down a freshly paved road, have a picnic lunch at a state park, grill that Fourth of July steak, drink a tall glass of cool water or take in some fresh air, remember to thank a public employee. They had a hand in that, and SO MUCH MORE, and we should all be thankful.
Watch the daily press briefings and share: I am proud to be a #PublicEmployee. Our services are so valuable right now and will be key to rebuilding our state and our nation in crisis and reigniting our economy. It's time to invest in quality public services, public employees and the infrastructure that powers the public work on which so many Ohioans depend. #PublicService #FundTheFrontlines #InThisTogether #OCSEA #AFSCME