Bobbie-Jo Heinlen doesn’t believe in quitting.
In the last few months, the corrections officer and member of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association (OCSEA) / AFSCME Local 11 has signed up 50 new members of her local and dozens of PEOPLE MVPs. She and her team have had hundreds of conversations with fellow members and fair share fee payers. She says even those who are “die-hard fair share fee payers” will eventually recognize the value of being full members.
“They can tell you they’re going to remain fair share, but there’s still room for having a conversation with them and listening to them,” Heinlen says. “I believe at some point they’re going to hear the union’s message and appreciate it.”
She says her biggest reward is talking to coworkers about how, through their union, they are fighting to protect their jobs in corrections. And then signing them up as members, even those who have been fair share for years.
Heinlen has been a corrections officer for 22 years. She works at Marion Correctional Institution.
She and her team have visited Local 11 chapters throughout Ohio. Their strategy is to focus on those with the highest number of fair share fee payers first. They work with local leaders, chapter presidents and staff representatives to coordinate visits. Social events like Christmas celebrations and union meetings have been opportunities for offering information and making assessments through one-on-one conversations.
“The most valuable thing out of the AFSCME Strong training for me was focusing on the listening, getting back to that aspect of the conversation where you really listen to what someone has to say,” says Heinlen, who participated in the AFSCME Strong training during Local 11’s convention in the summer. “I’m glad to see how many people are taking advantage of the training.”