Court Worker Update: Jan. 6, 2022

Dear OCEA member,

A safe workplace is the value that drives all other needs. COVID-19 has put public servants directly in harm's way. Further, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has increased the number of positive cases exponentially. We know that many of you are concerned about your health and the well-being of your family. We want to remind everyone that the Court has extended the Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL) benefit that was provided as part of early COVID-19 relief efforts through June of 2022. EPSL allows for workers to take necessary time for COVID-19 related illnesses.

Entering 2022 we are re-committing ourselves to the core values we have been leading with since the COVID-19 pandemic began: safety, security, and stability. Safety at work for OCEA members and their families, security at work to continue serving the public, and creating stability so we can return to normal. These three values have been the North Star of our advocacy for OCEA members and their families throughout this crisis.

We also know that returning to a secure and stable work environment requires continuity. Increased absences, mandatory quarantining and other disruptions are hindering our ability to return to normal. I wish there was an easy path, but there is not. We must remain hopeful and patient. In these times I am reminded of a quote from the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: “Optimism is the belief that things are going to get better. Hope is the belief that we can make things better. Optimism is a passive virtue; hope is an active one. It takes no courage to be an optimist, but it does need courage to hope.”

Thank you all for being courageous. Your courage helps make things better for our entire community.

In Solidarity,

Charles Barfield
OCEA General Manager

Publication Date: January 6, 2022