President of the Ohio AFL-CIO, Tim Burga, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the recent support for the state’s proposed independent redistricting efforts from former California governor Arnold Scwarzenegger. Burga also provided an update on the People Not Politicians campaign and how the upcoming primaries could impact unions in Ohio.
Former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was recently in Columbus, Ohio for the Arnold Classic. Following the event, he joined the Ohio AFL-CIO to support the campaign to end gerrymandering in the state and support proper redistricting. Burga talked about how Schwarzenegger dealt with an effort to outlaw gerrymandering during his time as governor of California. According to Burga, the former governor’s experience reinforced the points the state labor federation has been providing to voters to educate them on why there should be a redistricting effort without politicians involved.
The campaign to fix the voting maps, People Not Politicians, is working with the Ohio AFL-CIO to get legislation on the ballot this fall. The legislation would create an independent committee without politicians or lobbyists that would create fair and competitive voting districts. Burga outlined what must be done to get the legislation on the ballot. The state federation is also hosting events to collect petition signatures around Ohio. To find out more about these events, please visit unionstrongohio.com.
The primary election is one week away in Ohio, and there are some hotly contested races that could impact legislation for unions. One election is the U.S. Senate seat, and Burga discussed what that election could mean for unions in Ohio. Finally, Burga talked about the union members running in the primaries for local elections and why union members should be engaged in their local elections.
To hear more from Burga, please listen to the show above.