On this episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Tim Burga, President of the Ohio AFL-CIO, joined the show for a conversation about the state’s labor landscape and legislative issues impacting workers.
Burga began by discussing the strong performance of labor-endorsed candidates in Ohio's recent general election. According to Burga, out of 197 candidates endorsed by local labor councils, 174 secured victories, with 52 of those being union members or “Path to Power” candidates who had been trained to run for office. This surge, he said, reflects both an increase in direct union participation in elections and a promising trend: more candidates, regardless of union membership, now seek to understand and support organized labor’s goals. Burga noted that public polling indicates union support is as high as it has been since the early 1960s, positioning Ohio labor on a solid foundation heading into future elections.
Burga then outlined proposed legislation that could negatively affect workers in Ohio. Among the bills he highlighted are those related to potential property tax reform, which would hinder local efforts to fund public schools; changes to child labor laws that would broaden the conditions under which minors can work late hours; and a potential revision to voting regulations that would eliminate grace periods for mail-in ballots. Instead of bolstering public institutions or protecting vulnerable populations, Burga argued these bills could undercut public education, expose young workers to unnecessary risks and create voter suppression scenarios.
The conversation finished with Burga calling for legislative and political action, particularly around the Protect America's Workforce Act, which aims to restore collective bargaining rights previously stripped from more than a million federal workers. He tied these national issues back to Ohio’s local realities, noting the direct impact the legislation could have on communities and families. Looking ahead to the 2026 general election, Burga emphasized that having pro-worker representatives in office is crucial to reversing damaging trends and protecting the rights and livelihoods of union members across the state.
For more from Burga, listen to the full episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast above.
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.
