OHIO CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION
UNION NEWS / December 11, 2025

OCSEA's 12 Days of Christmas, the annual holiday celebration of OCSEA members, is in its second and final week. Raffle drawings will continue every day through this Friday, December 12. This festive 12 days of raffle prize drawings is just one simple way OCSEA can say THANK YOU to our active union members this holiday season. As public employees, you give so much of yourselves––to Ohio and throughout our communities! We say thank you this holiday season and will continue to protect and support you and the public services you provide all year long.

To coincide with the 12 Days of Christmas, we continue to share ingredients for the recipe to union success. It takes a lot to make a strong union! The major ingredients include a full cup of union members who are involved and educated and a heaping tablespoon of public employees who care about their work, their co-workers and their communities. Add a dash of activism and service and we have one strong union!

Visit OCSEA.org/12DaysofChristmas to see a few ingredients for success to become more involved in your union. A different ingredient is being posted each day through December 12! Share them on social media and use them as a tool in your chapter all year-long to get members involved.

Are you an OCSEA member who works outside a lot, especially during the colder months? We want to hear from you! Send us a photo of yourself outside on the job, and we'll send you your very own OCSEA logo-embroidered knit cap. Email us a photo at communications@ocsea.org.

Wearing OCSEA gear is a great way to show your union pride––and a great way to stay warm, too, on those cold, cold days. Thank you to all our OCSEA public union members who brave the weather all year long! You make Ohio happen!

Ohio’s public service workers delivered a strong show of unity last Thursday as OCSEA, OAPSE, AFSCME Ohio Council 8, and AFSCME Retirees Chapter 1184 came together to endorse Dr. Amy Acton for Governor. The announcement took place at the OCSEA headquarters in Westerville and featured remarks from OCSEA President Chris Mabe and AFSCME International President Lee Saunders.

“Ohio deserves a Governor who truly understands the everyday struggles that working people face and that’s why we are supporting Amy Acton,” said Pres. Mabe. “She is a proven leader who has always stood with labor. Amy is deeply committed to the people of Ohio, and with her compassion and determination, she is the right person to lead our state into the future.” Read more.

Watch and Share Video below:

Don’t miss the chance to win union scholarship money for you and your family! Scholarships are available to the families of OCSEA dues-paying members through AFSCME and the AFL-CIO. Apply before the deadlines below. Click the images for more information.

And don't forget! The OCSEA Les Best Scholarship application window for next year will begin on January 1, 2026 and end on April 30, 2026. Active members, their spouses, and their dependent children are ALL eligible to apply! After the New Year, make sure to visit OCSEA.org/LesBest for the 2026 application(s) and instructions on applying.

Shout out to Knox-Licking Chapter 4500! The chapter adopted families this year for the holidays as part of their Labor Gives Back giving. Gifts were gathered for a 4-year old little boy from Knox County and his mother and for an 11-year old boy from Licking County. Kudos to the chapter leaders who helped initiate the charitable giving for their communities in need.

Help us share the good news this Season of Giving! Email communications@ocsea.org so we can spread the word about the Labor Gives Back efforts of your chapters and membership. Please send photos of your charitable giving, if possible! Photos help to tell these important Labor Gives Back stories. Contact Deirdre Wedig in Communications with any questions or for support.