Ortiz
CSEA is mourning the loss of former CSEA staff attorney Miguel “Mike” Ortiz, who passed away on Feb. 15, 2025.
Mike was always willing to assist any attorney in the office, whether it be with simple advice or setting aside his own work to assist a colleague.
“Mike was kind and compassionate, a fierce warrior for working people,” said CSEA General Counsel Daren Rylewicz. “He would give you the shirt off his back.”
He was born in 1948 in Southwest Detroit, Mich. After attending Wayne State University for his law degree, Mike began a career that was always grounded in the values of human rights, due process and justice. He had grown to recognize and respect the role that labor unions served in achieving and protecting fair working conditions.
After 40 years of living and working in Detroit, Mike relocated to Albany to begin a 26-year career as an attorney for CSEA. He served as president of the New York State Capital Region chapter of LERA (Labor and Employment Relations Association) and as president of the local chapter of LCLAA (Labor Council for Latin American Advancement).
During his tenure at CSEA, Mike handled some of the most complex matters in the Legal Department. He approached every case with integrity and always treated CSEA members with dignity and respect.
Mike retired from CSEA in 2014. He left a huge hole to fill and was dearly missed. Despite being retired, Mike returned to CSEA in 2018 briefly to work in our union’s Member Resource Center, created in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus decision.
He leaves behind his beloved and devoted wife, Marilyn (Raskin-Ortiz); his children, Ben (Gladira), Martin (Cassy), Alicia (Marz), and their mother, Christine; his grandsons, Xavier and Tristan; Marilyn’s daughter Rachel and son Michael, whom he loved and cherished as his own; and Marilyn’s loving sister, Mona and her family.
