| News & Notes 
Register Now!!! For the 2010 OHPELRA Annual Training Conference, February 7-9, OHPELRA Lights the Way Through Old Issues and New Challenges
OHPELRA's Annual Training Conference has enjoyed the reputation as the premier training conference for Ohio public sector labor relations and human resources professionals, and the 2010 OHPELRA Annual Training Conference, OHPELRA Lights the Way Through Old Issues and New Challenges, promises to continue that tradition. Starting with the Pre-Conference Workshop, with long-time OPERS board member Ken Thomas discussing the state and future of OPERS, and the SuperBowl reception, both on Sunday, to the Closing Session, featuring Brian Blasko and "Cruisin' Through Life at 35 MPH" on Tuesday, the entire program will provide you with the training you need to survive today's workplace challenges and ever-changing employment laws and regulations.
The conference will feature some of OHPELRA's favorite veteran speakers and introduce several new faces, including through the magic of webinars, California attorney Peter Brown, a most energetic speaker and an NPELRA annual training conference regular. The entire Annual Training Conference agenda can be viewed by clicking here.
You do not want to miss this conference. Register Online today!!!
NEW ROOM RATES at Cherry Valley Lodge for the OHPELRA Annual Training Conference - just $70/night!!!!
(Members are strongly urged to register online. Don't worry - you don't have to pay right away, we'll send you an invoice after you register online.)
Award of Excellence and Pacesetter Award
...and the award goes to...{awardee's name here}
Do you know someone within the OHPELRA organization who should be recognized for his or her outstanding contributions to our profession in public sector human resources and/or labor relations?
If so, please remember to make a nomination for the: Award of Excellence, and/or Pacesetter Award.
An OHPELRA member will be honored for each award at the OHPELRA Annual Training Conference February 7-9, 2010, at the Cherry Valley Lodge in Newark, Ohio.
The Award applications can be found at www.npelra.org under "Awards." Please forward your nominations to Kevin Williams at Columbus Public Health, 240 Parsons Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43215 or e-mail them to me at kgwilliams@columbus.gov.
Deadline to submit completed applications is January 8, 2010.
No matter who hauls in the OHPELRA Awards, all nominations will be submitted to NPELRA for consideration for the NPELRA Awards to be presented at the NPELRA Annual Training Conference in April 2010.
Award of Excellence
The Award of Excellence is presented to an individual who has made an outstanding
contribution to management in the field of public sector labor relations.
The Award of Excellence represents OHPELRA's highest acknowledgement
of the recipient's dedication and achievement
in the development of positive labor-management relations.
It signifies professional efforts, which have demonstrated creative and
innovative leadership over an extended period of time.
Pacesetter Award
The Pacesetter Award is given to individuals, groups or organizations who have made contributions to or whose accomplishments or innovations in the last two years have
been significant to the labor and/or employee relations field.
Seasonal and H1N1 Influenza and You
As we head into the seasonal flu season and progress with the H1N1 flu, there is growing expectations that many if not all workforces will see several employees out for illness of themselves and/or family members. This is the time for all of us to take the necessary precautions to keep ourselves healthy and to provide information to our employees that will aid them in doing the same. It is also late in the game to make plans, policies and contract adjustments to manage through the issues surrounding high levels of legitimate absenteeism, requiring employees to stay home if sick, and other factors that come into play. If your agency or government develops a policy for such occurrences, I ask that you help other OHPELRA members and mention you have one on the "OHPELRA Discussion Board." Also, for more information on the H1N1 Influenza, please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/general_info.htm
Finally, here's some general guidelines for avoiding and spreading viral infections for you and the ones you are around:
- Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly. You should scrub your hands for as long as it takes you to sing "Happy Birthday" twice, about 20 seconds. Dry your hands thoroughly with a paper towel and use it to turn off the water. Using a shared towel can spread germs. If you are not near soap and water, use an alcohol based hand sanitizer and let the sanitizer air dry.
- Sneeze and cough into your sleeve if you do not have a tissue. Try not to cough into your hands because this spreads germs more easily. If you use a tissue to cough or sneeze into, throw it away and wash your hands immediately.
- Stay home from work and/or school when you are sick, and if you have a fever don't return until 24 hours after the fever has subsided without the use of fever reducing medications, e.g. ibuprofen, aspirin, etc. This may spare your co-workers and classmates from getting sick too.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Often germs are spread by touching something contaminated and transferring them to your face.
- Clean surfaces in your house or office with bleach water or store bought disinfectant. Mix 10 parts water to one part bleach and scrub countertops, sinks, doorknobs and light switches.
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