Eligible employees can elect to enroll yourselves and/or your dependents in medical, dental and/or vision coverage. If you already are enrolled and wish to waive coverage, you will need to opt out of coverage during Open Enrollment.

If you already are enrolled in benefits, you do not have to take any action; however, below are important changes and enhancements of which everyone should be aware.

New for the upcoming benefits year, which begins July 1:

• Dental and vision plans for exempt employees - The state is consolidating plans by eliminating the following plans with low enrollment: Delta Dental Premier and EyeMed Vision Care. As a result, current enrollees who wish to maintain dental coverage will be enrolled automatically in the Delta Dental PPO without taking any action. Likewise, current enrollees who wish to maintain vision coverage will be enrolled automatically in the Vision Service Plan (VSP) without taking any action. However, current enrollees who wish to waive coverage will need to dis-enroll during the open enrollment period.
• Dental annual maximum limit for exempt employees - The annual maximum limit for all in-network and out-of-network dental work will be $1,500
• Long-Term Care Insurance - The Prudential Insurance Company of America is not accepting new enrollments after June 30, 2013. Current enrollees can continue to stay on the plan.

For full Open Enrollment 2013 details, visit http://das.ohio.gov/OpenEnrollment2013.

Additional information is available through the Ohio Department of Administrative Services' Benefits Administration website at http://das.ohio.gov/benefits. A separate Open Enrollment period for exempt employees will be held for the supplemental life plan. Eligible employees will receive additional information at a later date.

If you have questions, please contact HR Customer Service toll-free at 1.800.409.1205 or locally in central Ohio at 614.466.8857 or by email at HRCustomerService@das.ohio.gov

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Ohio House GOP Renews Attack On Workers' Rights

Columbus, Ohio - In response to memos sent today by Ohio Representatives Ron Maag and Kristina Roegner stating their intent to introduce separate legislation attacking public and private sector workers' rights, Service Employees International Union District 1199 President Becky Williams has issued the following statement:

"I am just appalled by the efforts of Representatives Maag and Roegner to once again attempt to silence the voice of workers across the state of Ohio, this time in both the public and private sector. This will hurt people we trust like librarians, nurses, mental health providers, social workers and so many others."

"So-called right to work is confusing, complicated and controversial. Right to work isn't what it seems and makes us all less safe. This is just another attempt by CEOs and corporate interests to end unions, as we know them so they can tip the balance even more in their favor at the expense of the middle class."

"Governor John Kasich, Ohio House Speaker William Batchelder and Senate President Keith Faber have an opportunity to demonstrate real leadership in this moment. History and the people of Ohio will judge them based on what they choose to do to stop so-called right to work in Ohio."

"Let us not forget the words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, when he said, 'In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as 'right to work.' It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights. Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining by which unions have improved wages and working conditions of everyone...Wherever these laws have been passed, wages are lower, job opportunities are fewer and there are no civil rights. We do not intend to let them do this to us. We demand this fraud be stopped. Our weapon is our vote.'"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 12, 2013

For more information, contact:
Josh Norris, jnorris@seiu1199.org,937-925-0149

SEIU District 1199 members were the first on the scene at the shooting that took place outside of Dayton Adult Parole Authority earlier this week. 

"Often times our public servants work long hours in thankless jobs that put them in hazardous situations," said Josh Norris, Ohio Public Division Director of the Service Employees International Union. "With this week being the 20th anniversary of the prison riots at Lucasville, this is an important reminder that public servants often act as first responders." 

After the shooting Wednesday, brave SEIU District 1199 members attempted to administer life-saving procedures and helped secure the area until police could arrive.

"Yesterday, SEIU District 1199 sent a Critical Incident Response Team to review policies and the incident to ensure the safety of the greater population and our members," continued Norris. "Ohio's citizens deserve great public services and as the shooting yesterday and the Lucasville prison riots demonstrate, they also deserve well trained public servants who are able to respond thoughtfully and diligently."

SEIU/1199 & ODJFS APC

SEIU Solidarity Hall

Minutes

April 9, 2013

1:00 PM

1.     Office Closures

a.     Any new information on the closures? Are there any dates set for offices that previously had no official closing date?

                                               i.     No dates set for Phase II and Phase III

                                             ii.     Phase I dates:

1.     Mansfield May 16

2.     Ironton May 23

3.     Bridgeport May 30

4.     Canton June 6 & 11

5.     The Plains June 18

b.     Agency sent no surveys, even recently, to OCSEA employees. Some call centers have space for other call center employees in offices that are closing. If one of these employees lives closer to an open call center other than the one the rest of the closing office is moving to, some of these requests are being granted.

c.     All phase I employees have received HQ-change letters with the new locations.

d.     OMA staff have not received letters yet even if in Phase I. Still deciding where these employees will go.

2.     Management Analyst Supervisor positions

a.     Can we get a status update on what is happening with the Management Analyst Supervisor positions that are being reclassified?  Supervising v. non-supervising

                                               i.     The audit process is in Phase II. DAS will make the final decision with an estimated date of June.

                                             ii.     Any BU positions these are reclassified into would be OCSEA positions.

3.     ADA Requests

a.     Union Process for approval of ADA requests. What process is currently in place to review and approve or deny ADA requests? What is "normal" time frame necessary to approve requests? Can someone from the agency go over the process in detail at the meeting?            

                                               i.     Reggie Smith no longer SME for ADA. The position is now going into new Wellness Mgmt section. This section will handle all ADA, FMLA, health fairs, etc. Becky Castorano is over this section, so she might be able to talk to us about the process. Also discussion about the time frame for approval, how to help employees with questions, etc. She was unavailable for today's meeting.

1.     Reggie still doing EEO, in Bureau of Civil Rights

b.     How does someone become an SME for ADA? Agency did not know at the time of the meeting

3. How does ADA committee work? Agency did not know details at the time of the meeting, but before becoming part of the new Wellness Mgmt section, it was not a standing committee. It was put together whenever there was a need. This could change now.

DRC notified 1199 yesterday that the layoff rationale originally scheduled to be delivered on April 15, will now be delivered on April 22, 2013. DRC stated that the layoff date would remain the same and would be effective September 7, 2013. We will continue to share any new information as it becomes available, and will insure that Article 29 and all other applicable parameters of the CBA are adhered to. ODRC management also advised that no ERI (Early Retirement Incentive) would be offered as a part of this layoff.   If you have specific questions or concerns please contact your Administrative Organizer.

SEIU/District 1199

Ohio State Vice President

Election Results:

Pete Hanlon         238 Votes*

Chana Trimble        99 Votes

17 write-in candidates received 1 vote each; one write-in candidate received 2 votes.

*Denotes Winner

If you have any questions, please contact Mary Jo Ivan, Elections Chair, at 614-461-1199 or 1-800-227-1199.

SEIU/1199 & ODJFS APC

SEIU Solidarity Hall

April 9, 2013

1:00 PM

1.     Office Closures

a.     Any new information on the closures? Are there any dates set for offices that previously had no official closing date?

2.     Management Analyst Supervisor positions

a.     Can we get a status update on what is happening with the Management Analyst Supervisor positions that are being reclassified?  Supervising v. non-supervising

3.     ADA Requests