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After lengthy negotiations city council votes in favor of union contract; Live theatre returns to the OSU; Nearly all schools in Knox County require masks
Mansfield City Council approves new contract with AFSCME union:
https://www.richlandsource.com/news/mansfield-city-council-approves-new-contract-with-afscme-union/article_a41c2048-10c9-11ec-82e0-2f19cfc93b3c.html
OSU Mansfield announces shows for in-person 2021-2022 season:
https://www.richlandsource.com/life_and_culture/osu-mansfield-announces-shows-for-in-person-2021-2022-season/article_05a3e84e-0b4f-11ec-b051-df47d18dcfaa.html
More than half of Knox County's school districts switch to mask mandates:
https://www.knoxpages.com/education/more-than-half-of-knox-countys-school-districts-switch-to-mask-mandates/article_9622c1f0-0ec5-11ec-a9c0-030aa82c4ad7.html
Peggy Ann Stewart:
https://www.richlandsource.com/obituaries/peggy-ann-stewart/article_914f30de-10cb-11ec-af57-673e94cd0b4e.html
You're listening to Source Daily. Join us Monday through Friday to stay up to date with what's happening in North Central Ohio. We’ll be sharing a closer look at one of our top stories, along with other news, local history, memorials, answers to your questions, and more.
Today - Ron Wise has worked for the city for 23 years. But he's never seen a better union contract than the one approved by Mansfield City Council this week.
Wise is the president of the AFSCME Local #3088. He said he’s very proud of this contract, and being a part of the team. In fact, it's one of the best contracts they’ve ever had.
After months of negotiations, the city council voted in favor of the union-approved agreement. The three-year pact begins with a retroactive start date of May 1, 2021.
Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local #3088 include many of the “general laborers” that keep the city running behind the scenes.
They include motor equipment operators at the water and wastewater treatment plants, community development workers, snow plow operators, utility collectors, police records clerks, court clerks, water meter installers, Mansfield Lahm airport employees, maintenance workers, Clear Fork reservoir workers and employees at the parks department -- just to name a few.
Mayor Tim Theaker said he was also happy with the deal. In his eyes it’s mutually beneficial to the city, administration and the union.
Wise estimated union membership is between 140 and 145 people, noting there are currently a few jobs posted. Membership dropped from about 230 people after the citywide layoffs in 2009.
The city employs approximately 461 full-time and part-time workers. Police officers and firefighters each have their own union; management employees are non-union.
The agreement includes a pay increase of 3 percent for AFSCME workers this year, followed by a 2.75 percent raise in the second and third year of the contract.
Council also voted to adopt personnel positions, pay grades and salaries for certain city employees, many of whom Wise says have not seen a pay grade increase in years.
Wise also said the city has seen a lot of employee turnover because of low wages.
He said wages "across the board" are below average for cities with the same size and economic situation as Mansfield.
Wise said Mansfield has also begun requiring more licenses and certifications, but wasn’t offering extra compensation to employees with those qualifications under the old bargaining agreement.
Under the new agreement, employees will qualify for higher pay after receiving certain trainings and certifications.
Wise said it was rewarding to see the contract come to fruition. He hopes it will boost the morale of the city's workforce.
Check out our full story at richlandsource.com, or use the link in our show notes.
Before we continue… I’d like to take a moment to highlight The Source Member Program. Memberships support daily reporting and research-driven solutions stories. Real world impact happens regularly in the form of community discussions and events.
We believe you deserve to be confident in your community’s news. So Visit SourceMembers.com to join.
Now, some local history… September 10th marks the 208th anniversary of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s victory over the British in the Battle of Lake Erie. Before this great triumph, the Americans had been on the defensive in the Ohio region during the War of 1812.
After the battle, American control of Lake Erie meant they could use the waterway to supply American forces with food and supplies and deny the British any hope of resupply or reinforcement. Although the War of 1812 ended up as a draw, victories like the Battle of Lake Erie were a source of national pride and identity. Citizens found inspiration in the courage and determination of military victors like Perry and created monuments and commemorative objects to keep their exploits fresh in popular memory.
The collections of the Ohio History Connection contain many of these commemorative objects and images.
Now, we’d like to take a moment to highlight an upcoming event that you should know about...
Live theatre is returning to the Ohio State University’s Mansfield campus for the first time since the shutdowns of March 2020. The campus recently announced its 2021-2022 lineup, which includes three ticketed shows and two free performances.
This month they’ll be showing “The Guys” by Anne Nelson. The theatre will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with this season opener.
“The Guys” tells the story of Joan, an editor, and Nick, a fire captain who lost most of his men in the attack. Less than two weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, Joan receives an unexpected call from Nick, who is looking for a writer to help him with the eulogies for his men. The play is based on a true story. Weather permitting, the performance will be held outside so actors and audience members can go mask-free.
Head over to richlandsource.com to read more about these events and discover more fun things to do.
Next, From Knox Pages… Just one school building — Danville Middle/High School — out of all buildings in Knox County's six school districts has stuck with the mask-optional policy.
All of the county's districts began the school year approximately a month ago with mask-optional policies. Now, four school districts require face masks indoors: Centerburg, East Knox, Mount Vernon and Fredericktown.
But not everyone agrees. In fact several Fredericktown students walked out of school Wednesday morning in protest of the district-wide indoor mask mandate.
Fredericktown schools began mandating masks indoors for both students and staff the last few days of August but announced Tuesday it would be creating a “District Mask Committee,” which will be made up of parents and school staff. It’ll be tasked with thinking of ways to create options for students to learn without wearing masks at certain times of the day.
Parents and staff who are interested in being on the committee should get in touch with Fredericktown superintendent Susan Hayward.
The mask mandates in Knox County districts have come after rises in COVID-19 cases and people having to be quarantined after being identified as close contacts. More than 200 people were quarantined in Knox County schools within the first two weeks of the school year.
And this week, Knox County recorded the highest number of active COVID-19 cases it has had throughout the pandemic.
Finally, we’d like to take a moment to remember the life of…
Peggy Ann Stewart of Mansfield. Peggy was born in California on May 16, 1948.
Peggy was a bookkeeper at Coldwell Banker and worked as an operator for Sprint. She also previously worked for the Census Bureau. Peggy liked crocheting, knitting and gardening, especially her roses. She loved to cook and her favorite drink was Pepsi. She enjoyed shopping and watching the QVC channel.
Peggy is survived by her husband of over 20 years, Charles, her children, her 11 grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren; brother, sisters, and numerous nieces and nephews.
She’ll be greatly missed. Thank you for taking a moment with us today to remember and celebrate Peggy’s life.
Thanks for listening, join us again tomorrow!
Also, make sure to head over to richlandsource.com and click be a member button to help support independent local journalism that informs and inspires.
Every contribution goes to helping us make Richland County a better place and to help keep our journalism free.
Also, if you like this podcast and want to hear more, make sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!
Support the show: https://www.sourcemembers.com/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
View all episodes
By Richland Source
4.9
1616 ratings
Mansfield City Council approves new contract with AFSCME union:
https://www.richlandsource.com/news/mansfield-city-council-approves-new-contract-with-afscme-union/article_a41c2048-10c9-11ec-82e0-2f19cfc93b3c.html
OSU Mansfield announces shows for in-person 2021-2022 season:
https://www.richlandsource.com/life_and_culture/osu-mansfield-announces-shows-for-in-person-2021-2022-season/article_05a3e84e-0b4f-11ec-b051-df47d18dcfaa.html
More than half of Knox County's school districts switch to mask mandates:
https://www.knoxpages.com/education/more-than-half-of-knox-countys-school-districts-switch-to-mask-mandates/article_9622c1f0-0ec5-11ec-a9c0-030aa82c4ad7.html
Peggy Ann Stewart:
https://www.richlandsource.com/obituaries/peggy-ann-stewart/article_914f30de-10cb-11ec-af57-673e94cd0b4e.html
You're listening to Source Daily. Join us Monday through Friday to stay up to date with what's happening in North Central Ohio. We’ll be sharing a closer look at one of our top stories, along with other news, local history, memorials, answers to your questions, and more.
Today - Ron Wise has worked for the city for 23 years. But he's never seen a better union contract than the one approved by Mansfield City Council this week.
Wise is the president of the AFSCME Local #3088. He said he’s very proud of this contract, and being a part of the team. In fact, it's one of the best contracts they’ve ever had.
After months of negotiations, the city council voted in favor of the union-approved agreement. The three-year pact begins with a retroactive start date of May 1, 2021.
Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local #3088 include many of the “general laborers” that keep the city running behind the scenes.
They include motor equipment operators at the water and wastewater treatment plants, community development workers, snow plow operators, utility collectors, police records clerks, court clerks, water meter installers, Mansfield Lahm airport employees, maintenance workers, Clear Fork reservoir workers and employees at the parks department -- just to name a few.
Mayor Tim Theaker said he was also happy with the deal. In his eyes it’s mutually beneficial to the city, administration and the union.
Wise estimated union membership is between 140 and 145 people, noting there are currently a few jobs posted. Membership dropped from about 230 people after the citywide layoffs in 2009.
The city employs approximately 461 full-time and part-time workers. Police officers and firefighters each have their own union; management employees are non-union.
The agreement includes a pay increase of 3 percent for AFSCME workers this year, followed by a 2.75 percent raise in the second and third year of the contract.
Council also voted to adopt personnel positions, pay grades and salaries for certain city employees, many of whom Wise says have not seen a pay grade increase in years.
Wise also said the city has seen a lot of employee turnover because of low wages.
He said wages "across the board" are below average for cities with the same size and economic situation as Mansfield.
Wise said Mansfield has also begun requiring more licenses and certifications, but wasn’t offering extra compensation to employees with those qualifications under the old bargaining agreement.
Under the new agreement, employees will qualify for higher pay after receiving certain trainings and certifications.
Wise said it was rewarding to see the contract come to fruition. He hopes it will boost the morale of the city's workforce.
Check out our full story at richlandsource.com, or use the link in our show notes.
Before we continue… I’d like to take a moment to highlight The Source Member Program. Memberships support daily reporting and research-driven solutions stories. Real world impact happens regularly in the form of community discussions and events.
We believe you deserve to be confident in your community’s news. So Visit SourceMembers.com to join.
Now, some local history… September 10th marks the 208th anniversary of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s victory over the British in the Battle of Lake Erie. Before this great triumph, the Americans had been on the defensive in the Ohio region during the War of 1812.
After the battle, American control of Lake Erie meant they could use the waterway to supply American forces with food and supplies and deny the British any hope of resupply or reinforcement. Although the War of 1812 ended up as a draw, victories like the Battle of Lake Erie were a source of national pride and identity. Citizens found inspiration in the courage and determination of military victors like Perry and created monuments and commemorative objects to keep their exploits fresh in popular memory.
The collections of the Ohio History Connection contain many of these commemorative objects and images.
Now, we’d like to take a moment to highlight an upcoming event that you should know about...
Live theatre is returning to the Ohio State University’s Mansfield campus for the first time since the shutdowns of March 2020. The campus recently announced its 2021-2022 lineup, which includes three ticketed shows and two free performances.
This month they’ll be showing “The Guys” by Anne Nelson. The theatre will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with this season opener.
“The Guys” tells the story of Joan, an editor, and Nick, a fire captain who lost most of his men in the attack. Less than two weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, Joan receives an unexpected call from Nick, who is looking for a writer to help him with the eulogies for his men. The play is based on a true story. Weather permitting, the performance will be held outside so actors and audience members can go mask-free.
Head over to richlandsource.com to read more about these events and discover more fun things to do.
Next, From Knox Pages… Just one school building — Danville Middle/High School — out of all buildings in Knox County's six school districts has stuck with the mask-optional policy.
All of the county's districts began the school year approximately a month ago with mask-optional policies. Now, four school districts require face masks indoors: Centerburg, East Knox, Mount Vernon and Fredericktown.
But not everyone agrees. In fact several Fredericktown students walked out of school Wednesday morning in protest of the district-wide indoor mask mandate.
Fredericktown schools began mandating masks indoors for both students and staff the last few days of August but announced Tuesday it would be creating a “District Mask Committee,” which will be made up of parents and school staff. It’ll be tasked with thinking of ways to create options for students to learn without wearing masks at certain times of the day.
Parents and staff who are interested in being on the committee should get in touch with Fredericktown superintendent Susan Hayward.
The mask mandates in Knox County districts have come after rises in COVID-19 cases and people having to be quarantined after being identified as close contacts. More than 200 people were quarantined in Knox County schools within the first two weeks of the school year.
And this week, Knox County recorded the highest number of active COVID-19 cases it has had throughout the pandemic.
Finally, we’d like to take a moment to remember the life of…
Peggy Ann Stewart of Mansfield. Peggy was born in California on May 16, 1948.
Peggy was a bookkeeper at Coldwell Banker and worked as an operator for Sprint. She also previously worked for the Census Bureau. Peggy liked crocheting, knitting and gardening, especially her roses. She loved to cook and her favorite drink was Pepsi. She enjoyed shopping and watching the QVC channel.
Peggy is survived by her husband of over 20 years, Charles, her children, her 11 grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren; brother, sisters, and numerous nieces and nephews.
She’ll be greatly missed. Thank you for taking a moment with us today to remember and celebrate Peggy’s life.
Thanks for listening, join us again tomorrow!
Also, make sure to head over to richlandsource.com and click be a member button to help support independent local journalism that informs and inspires.
Every contribution goes to helping us make Richland County a better place and to help keep our journalism free.
Also, if you like this podcast and want to hear more, make sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!
Support the show: https://www.sourcemembers.com/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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