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

This week a teacher working at the Indian River Dept. of Youth Services (DYS) facility in Massillon was assaulted and sent to the hospital with significant injuries. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, which is investigating the incident, two 18-year-old youth residents carried out the attack using a weapon that may have been a hammer.

OCSEA President Chris Mabe has denounced the heartless attack and has demanded that DYS immediately provide all incident reports, video surveillance, audio recordings and communication logs connected to the incident. President Mabe said, “[the assault] is the direct result of persistent, systemic failures in [DYS] leadership and a blatant disregard for staff safety that has plagued this facility for far too long.”

This violent assault is nothing new for Indian River which has a long and troubled history of violence. In 2022, a JCO was severely beaten at Indian River a few days before juvenile inmates rioted and barricaded themselves in a building for several hours. A recent unannounced inspection by the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee (CIIC) found that conditions at the facility have gotten worse. Since 2022, the number of fights and assaults on youth and staff at Indian River has increased every year between 2022 and 2024. And last year there were 18,607 Youth Behavioral Incident Reports filed at the facility, according to CIIC.

Every little bit helps these days. Especially when it comes to paying for the cost of college. Your union is here to help! The OCSEA Les Best Scholarship offers up to $12,000 in annual scholarships for OCSEA dues-paying members as well as their dependents and spouses. Two Member Book Scholarships are also available for members who apply!

Get your application today at OCSEA.org/LesBest and apply by April 30!

Registration for OCSEA's annual Women's Action Committee (WAC) Conference continues through April 25. The annual event is open to all members and will take place May 2-3, 2025 in Perrysburg, Ohio in the Toleo area. Visit OCSEA.org/WAC to learn how to register today.

Please note: The hotel block rate deadline has passed. Contact the hotel directly for availability that weekend

In a recent spotlight around the state budget, Policy Matters Ohio, the non-profit research institute, highlights their Ohio Budget Project and how the state budget can work for all of us. The piece calls the budget "a moral document," that impacts the everyday lives of each and every Ohioans. This includes investing in our public schools and libraries; our infrastructure;  and our state and local services. It also promotes the essential public work and services provided across the state by OCSEA members.

"Every day when the average Ohioan walks down the street or goes to work, the world around them is shaped by the budget policy choices of our state lawmakers. Everything from their access to public transportation, mental health services, access to healthy foods, and the education of our children is a result of the state budget," writes Policy Matters Budget & Health Researcher Kathryn Poe. "And while the process of the state budget may feel extremely complicated and inaccessible, we hope this preview makes it a little easier to turn your values into our shared reality."

The preview spotlights nearly a dozen state agencies and how investing, not cutting, those agency services could bring out the very best in Ohio! See if your state agency is included. Read more...

Nearly 40% of Ohio’s state budget comes from the federal government. Join Ohio AFSCME leaders on Thursday, April 17, at 6:30 p.m. for a virtual townhall meeting to learn how federal and state cuts could impact the services OCSEA members provide. RSVP TODAY!

Coalition members supporting federal union workers, including AFSCME, responded to Tuesday's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court granting the government’s request for a stay of the preliminary injunction against the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) blocking the firings of thousands of federal workers. The coalition of plaintiffs and co-counsel in the case released the following statement:
 
"There is no doubt that thousands of public service employees were unlawfully fired in an effort to cripple federal agencies and their crucial programs that serve millions of Americans every day. Today’s order by the U.S. Supreme Court is deeply disappointing but is only a momentary pause in our efforts to enforce the trial court’s orders and hold the federal government accountable.

“Despite this setback, our coalition remains unwavering in fighting for these workers who were wronged by the administration, and in protecting the freedoms of the American people. In fact, plaintiffs will be back in court tomorrow developing alternative grounds for relief. This battle is far from over."

Public service unions alongside small business, veterans and conservation organizations and rule of law advocates vow to continue the fight. The plaintiffs in this case consist of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE); American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); the Main Street Alliance; the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks; the Common Defense Civic Engagement; the Western Watersheds Project; AFGE Local 1216; AFGE Local 2110; VoteVets; and United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP); American Public Health Association; American Geophysical Union; the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO; Climate Resilient Communities; and Point Blue Conservation Science.

Read more: Supreme Court blocks order requiring Trump administration to reinstate thousands of federal workers - Associate Press

Now, a new report zeroes in on how cuts to the Department of Labor will impact workers and their families.

The Labor Department enforces laws that keep workers safe and protects them against wage theft, and it promotes economic growth, among other things. But the indiscriminate firings of Labor Department personnel will severely compromise the department’s ability to fulfill its mission.

The report explores the impact that such deep cuts in resources and personnel might have on communities across the nation.

This past Saturday, April 5, union members around Ohio joined thousands of allies and community members with the message: Hands Off Our Unions and Our Union Contracts! The rallies were held locally in conjunction with approximately 1,300 nationwide events in all 50 states.

Right, activists stand up for union rights in Vinton County, Ohio.