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“The UET came at the perfect time,” says Curtis Bishop reflecting on the union education benefits that have helped him and other OCSEA members afford their post-secondary education and training opportunities. Curtis, who has been employed as a Therapeutic Program Worker (TPW) at Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare in Cuyahoga County for just over two years, says his financial aid for college had just run out when he found out about the Union Education Trust (UET).
As Curtis nears the end of his pursuit of bachelor’s in criminology studies, he says he’s been able to take advantage of the benefit for two years in a row and doesn’t know what he’d do without it. “At one point I was able to get one of my classes for free. You can’t beat that,” says Curtis.
Curtis, 35, says he began his educational journey with a business management associate degree but knew he wanted more. After 12 years working for “Corporate America,” he found himself in public service for the Dept. of Mental Health and Addiction Services (MHAS). He said he knew that he had to take the next steps that would prepare him for a law degree, and that the UET could help make that a reality.
“I knew I wanted to be a lawyer since I was in fourth grade,” said Curtis. “As a young black man from an urban city, I saw a lot of people like me who weren’t getting representation,” he said. “I knew I wanted to be a lawyer, someone who cares about fighting for justice, for justice for people like me.”
And since entering public service, Curtis says he’s begun to set his sights on utilizing that law degree in the public arena. “’What’s the next step?’ was going through my head. If I do get into law, I would like to stay in public service,” he said.
When asked what the UET means to him, he responded, “It means a lot to me, everything to me. It was a blessing. And it turned out at the right time that I needed it. I wished I found it on the first day!” he said. “The UET is there for union members who need it, especially people who don’t qualify for financial aid,” he said.
Curtis jokingly said he should be an “official representative of UET.” “I tell everybody I know about it. ‘Oh, you’re in school? Do you know about the UET?’,” he said. Curtis even recently created a step-by-step amateur video for chapter members about how to go through the UET process. “I explained it to one member who had been off work for a bit, and then made a video to share with her, and then it just made the rounds in the chapter,” he said. Curtis says there are a lot of younger people at his facility who he wants to educate about the process so they can take advantage of the money available to them from their union.
Curtis is a new union steward for Northcoast Behavioral Health Chapter 7715, since July, having received his steward training in June. He got involved because–– just like with his desire to be a lawyer––he wants to make sure there is justice for his union sisters and brothers.
“I want to be the voice for my co-workers. There’s a lot of good people who are scared to say anything, and with my skills and background, I can be that voice,” he said. Curtis comes from a line of union activism. His father, Curtis Bishop Sr., is a retired OCSEA activist who served as president and vice president of at Warrensville Developmental Center near Cleveland. Curtis says his father continues to guide him today on what it means to “be union!”