Knowledge is Power! Getting to know your OCSEA Scholarship Program
The OCSEA Les Best Scholarship deadline is April 30
APPLY NOW
Looking for financial support for college? Get to know your OCSEA Scholarship Program and how it can help your family. Each year the OCSEA Les Best Scholarship Program awards up to $12,000 total in scholarships to help OCSEA families take on the financial burden of a college education. The OCSEA scholarship application process for Fall 2024 is NOW OPEN through April 30.
The OCSEA Les Best Scholarship Program includes THREE different categories: 1) A Member Scholarship; 2) A Dependent Scholarship and 3) A Spouse Scholarship. To be eligible, you MUST BE an active dues-paying union member to apply for yourself or for a family member to be able to apply. PLEASE NOTE: Dependents include qualifying children, step-children or grandchildren for whom you can claim a tax exemption.
Applications for all three scholarship categories can be downloaded at OCSEA.org/LesBest. Start the process as soon as possible to make sure you have time to gather application resources, including transcripts, letters of reference, and the written essay (for dependents).
Want more facts on the OCSEA Scholarship Program? Check out the "Did You Know" graphic below:
Enroll NOW for Spring OCSEA Discount College sessions
OCSEA Discount College Spring enrollment deadlines are March 4 and 11
OCSEA's brand new union discount college benefit launched in late 2023, and some important enrollment dates are coming up! Request Your Match now for the Spring sessions. The Spring enrollment deadlines are March 4 and 11.
The OCSEA Discount College program is a partnership between OCSEA and the EBS Network of Colleges and Universities, which is comprised of regionally accredited institutions committed to providing deep tuition discounts to union families. The OCSEA Discount College benefit offers up to 50% discounted college tuition rates for all OCSEA members AND any extended family member.
Whether you want to pursue an Associate, Bachelor's, or Master's degree, or a professional certificate, EBS has a comprehensive range of over 50 online program offerings. Explore the program and Request Your Match now for Spring sessions at OCSEA’s College Benefit website HERE.
Participate in Solidarity Wednesdays to support your Bargaining Team
Every Wednesday throughout bargaining is SOLIDARITY Wednesday! Show your support for your OCSEA Bargaining Team by wearing OCSEA attire or the color green, at work or at home, every Wednesday through bargaining until we have a fair contract.
And remind your chapter co-workers to do the same! Only through a united front as union members can we show management that their proposed takeaways WILL NOT be tolerated!
Chapters are also urged to hold Solidarity events at the workplace or during chapter meetings. Learn more HERE.
OCSEA activists Kim White, Candy Beath and Jessica Schmurr from the Ohio Veterans Home in Georgetown represent in green for Solidarity Wednesday to support their Bargaining Team!
Pledge card raffle winners:
Congrats to all of our OCSEA Pledge Card Drive raffle winners! OCSEA's Bargaining Pledge Card Solidarity Drive wrapped up last week, and all the winners have been announced.
OCSEA's Bargaining Pledge Card Solidarity Drive kicked off Nov. 20. Below you will see the list of pledge card raffle winners by week, starting Nov. 28. All winners signed a pledge card showing their support for the OCSEA Bargaining Team.Top pledge card chapters were also awarded a chapter rebate of $500 each to be used for chapter events and more.
Week 1 Winners:
- Susan Zimmerman - Ohio Veterans Home Chapter 2200 - Prize: 15.6 HP Laptop
- Karen Biglin - Mansfield Chapter 7010 - Prize: $100 gift card
- David Hagen - Ashland Chapter 300 - Prize: $50 gift card
- Mansfield Chapter 7010 - Prize: $500 Chapter Rebate
Week 2 Winners
- Margaret Springer - Ohio Veterans Home Chapter 2200 - Prize: Meta Quest 2 VR headset
- Charles Humphreys - Jackson County Chapter 4020 - Prize: $100 gift card
- Carrie Taylor - BMV Chapter 2503 - Prize: $50 gift card
- Twinsburg Chapter 7760 - Prize: $500 Chapter Rebate
Week 3 Winners
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Shyana Deutschle - Massillon Chapter 7650 - Prize: Beats Studio Pro Wireless Headphones
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Leslie Ingles - Ohio Veterans Home Chapter 2200 - Prize: $100 gift card
Robert Miller - Mansfield Chapter 7010 - Prize: $50 gift card
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Columbus OOD Chapter 2538 - Prize: $500 Chapter Rebate
Week 4 Winners
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Brittni Bahr - Wood Chapter 8700 - Prize: Apple - 10.2-Inch iPad
- Lee Workman - ODNR Chapter 2515 - Prize: $100 gift card
- Julie Paden - Guernsey Chapter 3000 - Prize: $50 gift card
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Chapter 1860 Warrensville Developmental Center - Prize: $500 Chapter Rebate
Week 5 Winners
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Douglas Hansen - Northcoast Chapter 7715 Northcoast - Prize: Nintendo Switch - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle
- Renee M Allen-Manneh - BMV Chapter 2503 - Prize: $100 gift card
- Paul Parrish - Twinsburg Chapter 7760 - Prize: $50 gift card
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NEPRC Chapter 1835 - Prize: $500 Chapter Rebate
Week 6 Winners
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Derrick Wells - Lebanon Correctional Chapter 8310 - Prize: Microsoft Xbox
- Donn F Dunn - Noble Correctional Chapter 6100 - Prize: $100 gift card
- Kizzey Copeland - Warrensville Chapter 1860 - Prize: $50 gift card
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State Office Tower Chapter 2545 - Prize: $500 Chapter Rebate
Week 7 Winners
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Jennifer Doerger - Southwest DODD Chapter 1320 - Prize: Samsung Soundbar
- Natasha Lewis - Marysville Reformatory Chapter 8010 - Prize: $100 gift card
- Lee Alzarreca - Central Ohio Chapter 2513 - Prize: $50 gift card
- Department of Education Chapter 2565 - Prize: $500 Chapter Rebate
Week 8 Winners
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Kimberley Samson - Alberta Street Chapter 2575 - Prize: Sony PlayStation 5
- Tyler Holcomb - Jackson County (State) Chapter 4020 - Prize: $100 gift card
- Nicole Tattersall - Anthony Wayne Chapter 4810 - Prize: $50 gift card
- ODNR Chapter 2515 - Prize: $500 Chapter Rebate
Members of the OCSEA Bargaining Team work hard fighting for a fair contract. The team has been pushing back against management takeaways since the first of the year. Photographed are team members, from left to right, Brian Miller, Raymond Harker, Scott Buckridge and Wilson Humphrey.
Decorate your union spaces for bargaining and win!
Chapters that submit photos of their union boards OR union offices decorated for bargaining will be entered to win 5 bargaining t-shirts and 100 bargaining lapel buttons for their chapters. Send photos to communications@ocsea.org.
Find UBBN content at OCSEA.org/UBBN and OCSEA.org/Toolkit.
Discount Cleveland Cavaliers tickets for members only
Don't miss out on the action! OCSEA members get exclusive discounts at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, including tickets to watch the Cleveland Cavaliers through April. Members also get discounts to select Charge (NBA G League) and Monsters (AHL Hockey) games, Monster Jam and more.
Get this deal and even more member-only deals at OCSEA.org/Extras.
AFSCME Pres. Saunders sits down with MLK III to honor legacy of Dr. King
The award-winning AFSCME's I AM Story podcast details the history and legacy of the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike, examining the origins of the AFSCME Local 1733 strike and the events leading up to the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was assassinated while in Memphis supporting the strikers.
Recently, AFSCME President Lee Saunders and Martin Luther King III, the oldest son of Dr. King, sat down to honor the legacy of his father and make the connection to his sacrifices for the labor movement. They discuss the podcast and the legacy of the strike, his father and the work that King III is doing today to "continue what Dr. King started," said Saunders in the sit-down.
The podcast is one every OCSEA/AFSCME member should listen to as it provides a front-row seat to the events that shook the nation, featuring AFSCME strikers who were there and firsthand accounts of some of today’s leading civil rights icons. Together, these powerful voices guide listeners through this moment in AFSCME history while also connecting the struggles of the past to the challenges facing working people now.
