OHIO CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION
UNION NEWS / JuLY 16, 2025
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Congratulations to the 2025 OCSEA scholarship winners!
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We are so excited to announce the recipients of this year's OCSEA Les Best Scholarship awards. The scholarship winners include six dependents of OCSEA dues-paying members, two OCSEA members, and two spouses, for a grand total of $12,000 in scholarships. This educational benefit can be used toward helping these union families pursue a college or vocational school education. Additionally, the two OCSEA members were awarded a $250 book scholarship each.
The Winners Are...
Dependents' College Scholarship:
Sujan Sriram | parent: Haripriya Sriram, Dept. of Taxation
Neil Nair | parent: Nisha Nair, BWC
Haley Bennage | parent: Jennifer Bennage, Ohio EPA
Mia Bella Jones | parent: Michelle Postiy, Bureau of Environmental Health and Radiation Protection
Karlie Kistler | parent: Kimberly Kistler, ODJFS
Sreeja Kommera | parent: Praveen Kommera, DAS
Members' College Scholarship:
La Keisha Denham, Dept. of Commerce
Alicia Perkins, ODOT
Spouses' College Scholarship:
Lynn Smith | spouse: Mark Smith, Dept. of Youth Services
Dromo Ako-Nai | spouse: Kyei Baffour Tenkorang, Ohio Adjutant General's Department
Learn more about the OCSEA Les Best Scholarship HERE. The scholarship program opens each year on January 1, with a deadline of April 30. It is open to active, dues-paying members as well as their dependents and spouses. Want to promote the scholarship or other union benefits programs at a chapter event or union fair? Contact the OCSEA Communications Department at communications@ocsea.org.
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In the scholarship essay about how unions benefit working families and their lives personally, Neil Nair, dependent of OCSEA member Nisha Nair at BWC, wrote the following:
“I often think about how different my life could have been without my mom’s union membership. Without healthcare, my broken leg might have derailed my education. Without financial security, my mom’s surgery might have thrown us into crisis. Without OCSEA’s steady presence, my dreams might have stayed just that––dreams, untouched and unreachable. Unions like OCSEA don’t just protect paychecks, they protect futures.”
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Neil Nair, dependent of Nisha Nair at BWC, is one of the recipients of this year's Les Best Scholarship awards.
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Leadership award nomination deadline is this Friday
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Former OCSEA Pres. Alexander remembers Jean Fightmaster
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Jean Fightmaster was revered by her union brothers and sisters, friends and colleagues as a “force of nature” and a dedicated union activist who truly embodied her last name. After her passing, the OCSEA Jean Fightmaster Leadership Award was named in her honor to spotlight OCSEA leaders who are following in her footsteps.
OCSEA recently sat down with former OCSEA President Ron Alexander to talk about Jean's leadership and the impact she had on his life. Click below to watch:
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Want to celebrate an OCSEA activist who exhibits dedication to union values, outstanding leadership qualities and member advocacy? Nominate them for the Jean Fightmaster Leadership Award at ocsea.org/leadership by this Friday, July 18. The award will be given out at the OCSEA 36th Biennial Convention in Cleveland this August.
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Lodging Reservation Deadline: August 5
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Delegates must reserve their hotel rooms by Tuesday, August 5th to receive the discounted rate.
All reservation details and instructions can be found at OCSEA.org/Convention under "Hotel Registration."
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Credential Submission Deadline: August 8
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The deadline for timely credential submission is Friday, August 8th by 5 PM. Delegates must submit their forms to Theresa Smith by email at tsmith@ocsea.org, by fax at 614-865-4030, or by mail at 390 Worthington Rd. Westerville, OH 43082 Attn: Theresa Smith. Any received past this deadline will be have to go through the Credential Committee at Convention.
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AFL-CIO launches ‘It’s Better in a Union’ Nationwide Bus Tour leading up to Labor Day
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Labor leaders and workers held a rally last week to launch the nationwide “It’s Better in a Union: Fighting for Freedom, Fairness and Security” bus tour. The labor movement will travel the country providing voice to and building power with workers in the lead up to the Labor Day holiday.
The AFL-CIO's bus tour will culminate on Labor Day with 50 simultaneous rallies nationwide.The tour will visit 26 states to organize and mobilize for “Freedom, Fairness and Security” ending with a celebration to “reclaim Labor Day” for workers and their unions. The labor federation plans to visit picket lines, support contract campaigns and hold rallies to highlight workers' issues and protest against what they see as attacks on labor rights.
“Working people are the backbone of this country. We do the things our communities count on—at our schools and hospitals, factories and construction sites, small and big businesses—yet still too many families can’t keep food on the table, pay the rent, afford child care,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. The answer is not more of this same broken status quo. The answer is a good union job. The answer is working people in our communities—no matter who you are, how you voted—joining together and standing up for our freedom, fairness, and security.”
AFSCME President Lee Saunders also helped kick off the tour. You can watch his remarks and more HERE.
Stay tuned to AFL-CIO.org and these emails for updates on the bus tour and other events leading up to Labor Day. Tour dates are still being added, but the tour will be in Cleveland on Sunday, August 10 for a rally with the Dropkick Murphys! Get details on the Cleveland rally here.
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Columbus Clippers Union Family Day is July 27
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Don’t miss the Organized Labor of Central Ohio Family Day at Huntington Park with the Columbus Clippers. Get discount tickets for the July 27 Columbus Clippers versus Buffalo Bisons game. Plus, enjoy discounted food and beverages at the Sandwiches on Deck concession stand for union members only! No discount code is needed. Just click the "Get Tickets" button for deals.
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AFSCME's Saunders: Shutting down the Department of Education will harm our children
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AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court opening the way for the administration to shut down the Department of Education:
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“We are incensed by the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the administration to unlawfully dismantle the Department of Education in direct violation of the Constitution. This agency was created by an act of Congress to ensure equal access to education, and it cannot be eliminated simply because a president wills it. Our children, educators and nation will suffer great harm if this agency is shuttered. The Department of Education ensures that all students, no matter their zip code, economic class or disability, can learn and thrive. Tens of thousands of AFSCME members across the country have dedicated their careers to education, and we will continue to fight, regardless of this decision, to ensure that our students have every opportunity to succeed.”
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