In a move that ignores OAPSE members and retirees and the basic mission of SERS, the SERS Board of Trustees on Thursday voted to give staff merit-based raises of at least 3 percent. This move comes on the heels of the same board members freezing the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 80,000 retired school employees.

State Vice President Lois Carson and Retiree Karen Holdridge addressed the board members before the vote to tell them what life is really like on a fixed income and how decisions about retiring are affected because of the uncertainty of the COLA situation.

Their stories fell on deaf ears, and the board voted unanimously to award the raises. Below is a media release detailing the meeting with videos of Lois and Karen.

You can also view the lawsuit filed by OAPSE against SERS for implementing the COLA freezes.

Below is the press release OAPSE sent to media, legislators and union friends.

 

SERS Board of Trustees Members Vote to Give 3 Percent Raises to SERS Staff after Denying Cost-of-Living Increases to 80,000 SERS Retirees

In a unanimous vote today, SERS Board of Trustee members awarded raises of at least 3 percent to 178 SERS employees, including highly compensated employees earning between $250,000 and $320,000. This vote follows a board decision in the fall of 2017 to freeze cost-of-living increases for 80,000 SERS retirees, whose average monthly retirement benefit is $1,233.33

Before the vote, retiree Karen Holdridge addressed the board to give them a glimpse of what life is like on a fixed income with no COLA while rent, gas, utilities and all other expenses are rising.

“I live in a low income apartment complex just so I can afford to pay my rent…I’m barely scraping to pay it now. I’m very frugal. I don’t even have cable or regular TV. My source of entertainment is reading a library book,” Holdridge said.

A bus driver for nearly 20 years before her retirement two years ago, Holdridge said her rent is increasing next month, leaving her with fewer funds to afford groceries and other basic necessities or to travel to see her children. She has a job, but fears that at 71 and with health concerns, she will not be able to keep it much longer.

“I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. I’m not trying to get sympathy. I just want you to know that there are thousands of retirees like me who are struggling just to make ends meet. Not to have the best life in the world — but to make ends meet,” Holdridge said.

Lois Carson, a 30-year secretary with Columbus City Schools, told the SERS board that although she is eligible to retire, she will have to wait five or 10 years because of the uncertainty of the COLA issue.

A widow, Carson said that according to staff reports, “You look pretty good financially, that’s great, because that money is going to be mine someday. It’s not great for Karen, who didn’t get her cost-of-living increase… but great for you guys because you’re giving yourself a 3 percent raise.”

“We trusted you with our pension. You froze it. You have money to give yourself a 3 percent raise based on merit. Based on what you did investing our money. So you’re increasing YOUR pay. Not on your money. Not on taxpayer money. On MY money. On Karen’s money. I’m angry,” Carson said, noting that her last wage increase was 1.25 percent.

A 3 percent COLA on the average retirement benefit of an OAPSE member would mean $36.70 more per month or $440.49 per year.

In a separate vote, the board voted to give SERS Executive Director Richard Stensrud a 3.1 percent increase on his $250,000 salary, which amounts to $7,750 annually and $645.84 per month.

The board also gave SERS employees a 3 percent wage increase last year.

“The notion of giving SERS employees a sizeable raise while freezing the COLA for 80,000 retirees is insulting. If the system is doing so well financially, why continue a 3-year freeze on the COLA for the people who need it the most — the people who worked all their lives and deserve dignity and financial security in their retirement? SERS should be watching every last penny until their first priority — retired school employees — are taken care of,” said OAPSE Executive Director Joe Rugola.

OAPSE is suing SERS seeking to halt the COLA freeze.
“This kind of behavior by the board is exactly why we sued them. And like Lois said in her remarks to the board, we will keep fighting for OAPSE members and retirees every day. You can count on that.”

 

It’s summer 2018, and that means family fun for OAPSE members.

Thanks to your OAPSE membership, you and your family have  access to great deals for summer fun!

OAPSE has negotiated special pricing at Ohio’s amusement parks, water parks, zoos and the Columbus science center, and the deals are good through the end of the summer season.

Remember, you have to be a member to take advantage of the discounts. And they are really worth your membership dues. In fact, one member said she saved enough taking her family to Cedar Point to pay her union dues for a year!

To see what is available and how much you can save, click on the MyOAPSE tab at the top of the page. Log in with your member number and last name, and get ready to save and have fun across Ohio!

And take a look below for special pricing for Cedar Point and Kings Island — two of the premier amusement parks in America. You can’t beat this everyday pricing just for OAPSE members.

 

 

OAPSE Making a Difference (OMAD) donates food to 2,000 pre-school and elementary students at Zanesville City Schools; Union members raise thousands each year through the OMAD foundation to feed hungry children 

ZANESVILLE – Leaders from the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE/AFSCME Local 4) distributed meals and snacks to all pre-school and elementary students in Zanesville City Schools as part of the union’s OAPSE Making a Difference (OMAD) program. The charitable foundation has helped feed more than 10,000 hungry students throughout Ohio and has raised more than $70,000 since its start in 2014.

Officers and members from OAPSE Local 3, which represents workers at Zanesville City Schools, made the delivery Tuesday, May 15, at Zane Grey Elementary School. The local union represents secretaries, paraprofessionals, librarians, food service workers, bus drivers, network specialists, custodians and maintenance workers in Zanesville’s elementary, middle and high schools. On hand to distribute the food bags to students were Jason Stevens, an educational/teacher’s aide at Zanesville Community High School and president of Local 3; Don Fisher, vice president of Local 3 and a maintenance workers; Vickie Ritchie, head cook and past local secretary; and Roger Seevers, custodian at Zane Grey. They were joined by OAPSE Executive Director Joe Rugola; State Vice President Lois Carson; and Eastern District Executive Board Member Deb Adams.

“OAPSE started our foundation because we see children every day – in Zanesville and in schools across Ohio – who just don’t have enough to eat. Our members know that kids can’t be at their best when they are hungry. So, we started our foundation to raise money and provide food for some of the neediest children in our state. As parents and grandparents, OAPSE members know every family can use a little help, and we wanted to make a meaningful contribution,” Stevens said.

Volunteers stuffed tote bags with snacks and meals at the union’s statewide convention May 9-11. Union members, local unions, districts and OAPSE staff donated more than $15,000 to make the project possible. And OAPSE has worked closely with Champion Foodservice on all its OMAD projects. Champion Foodservice gives OMAD a great price on the food and allows OAPSE locals to feed students every year.

Past projects of the 501(c)(3) organization include establishing a permanent food bank at Fairland Local Schools in southern Ohio – among the poorest school districts in the state. OMAD has provided take-home meals and tote bags to 2,000 students at select elementary schools in Columbus City Schools; 1,500 students in East Cleveland City Schools; and 1,800 students in Lima City Schools. OAPSE is the union for workers in all four school districts.

“We are proud to serve children and families as members of OAPSE. And it means a lot to us to give back to our communities,” said Sandy Wheeler, state secretary of the union for 34,000 members in Ohio and president of the non-profit OMAD.

OAPSE/AFSCME Local 4 is the most powerful voice for the hard-working men and women who serve Ohio’s school children, community and technical college students, those in early childhood education programs, children and adults with special needs and those who take advantage of our public libraries and other community services.

More than 400 OAPSE delegates, officers, executive board members and guests gathered in Columbus May 9-11 to do the official business of the union under the theme, “We are OAPSE — AFSCME Strong!”

During the 76th OAPSE/AFSCME Delegate Conference, participants heard from President JoAnn Johntony and Executive Director Joe Rugola about the state of OAPSE and plans to strengthen and grow what is already Ohio’s leading union for public sector workers. They also called on members to fight for their union as the attacks on workers continue at the state and national level.

Delegates welcomed 2018 General Election statewide candidates: for Governor, Richard Cordray; for Secretary of State, Kathleen Clyde; for Attorney General, Steve Dettelbach; for Treasurer, Rob Richardson; and for Auditor, Zack Space.

Tim Burga, Ohio AFL-CIO president, and Danny Homan, president of Council 61 in Iowa, talked with delegates about so-called Right to Work and what the threat of legislation and court decisions could mean for OAPSE members. Homan told the group that “Nobody can take your union from you. But you can give it up if you don’t fight for it.”

And AFSCME International President Lee Saunders brought down the house with his remarks about how OAPSE members and our sisters and brothers in AFSCME across the country will fight back every time our union and our way of life is threatened. (See our FaceBook post and Twitter feed!)

Delegates also donated their time and money to help feed more than 2,000 students in Zanesville City Schools, where workers are members of Local 003.

And we raised lots of money for PEOPLE, our political action fund that helps elect candidates who support us and the issues we care about.

The Scholarship Committee announced winners of 10 $2,500 scholarships to students from around the state to attend college.

Delegates left energized to carry on the important work on the union and are looking forward to being together again in Cincinnati in 2020!