UAW awards scholarships, Ryan reminds students to remember their roots

August 5, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

WARREN

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan reminded local students during a scholarship luncheon Tuesday to remember their roots.

Those roots not only include the students’ connection to the Youngstown area, but also their connection to a labor union.

All of the 10 students received their $1,000 scholarships from United Auto Workers Local 1112. Eight of the students are the legal dependents of current GM employees, and two other recipients were awarded from the retirees’ chapter.

“It has become harder and harder for us to push policies that can reduce stress for families,” said Ryan, of Howland, D-13th.

Unions, Ryan said, bring the idea of everyone joining together. Local 1112 is made up of members from the General Motors assembly plant at Lordstown where the Chevrolet Cruze is built; Jamestown Industries; Magna Seating Systems; Mahoning County Department of Jobs and Family Services; Voith Industries; Infinite Synergy; and K-Mart Distribution Center.

“This union has adapted and got better,” Ryan said. “That’s why they have seen the investment [from General Motors]. They are a good example of how a union can function into the 21st century.”

The scholarship program is another way of supporting one another in the union.

“We do this because it’s a way to give back to our members,” said Russ Pinkard, chairman of the education committee for the Local 1112. “It’s from the dedicated, hard-working membership of our people that we are able to do this and give back to them.”

The scholarship program dates back to at least the 1980s, Pinkard said.

Three of the students are to attend Youngstown State University; two will attend Kent State University; two will attend the University of Akron; and three other recipients attending other schools in the U.S. received at-large scholarships.

Ryan also reminded the recipients that they have to be able to get back up after they get knocked down.

“You have to be excellent at something,” he said. “You have to persevere and take the punches.”