Davida Russell, Vice President of the North Coast Labor Federation and Cleveland Heights City Council member, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss her mayoral campaign, legislative accomplishments and vision for the city. Russell highlighted her union background, key policy initiatives and plans to address community challenges.
With over 40 years of union activism, Russell emphasized the importance of labor support in her campaign. She overcame a crowded primary election field to secure a spot in November’s general election, crediting her success to strong relationships within the labor community. Russell's union experience has shaped her approach to public service, focusing on justice, dignity and fairness for workers and residents.
As a council member, Russell has championed numerous impactful initiatives. She explained that she helped create a racial justice task force, allocated $5 million to distressed areas and secured funding for local businesses during COVID-19. She has supported pro-worker legislation such as the PRO Act and efforts to address the Social Security offset windfall. Russell also advocated for a living wage ordinance and the CROWN Act to protect against workplace discrimination based on hairstyles.
Looking ahead, Russell outlined her priorities for Cleveland Heights, including promoting transparency, accountability and public safety. She aims to revitalize the business district, improve city services and prioritize residents' needs. Russell emphasized the importance of healing community divisions and creating a unified vision for the city's future, focusing on small, achievable steps to address ongoing challenges.
To hear more about Davida Russell's campaign and vision for Cleveland Heights, listen to the full episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.
