Ohio AFL-CIO President Burga Joins New York Radio to Discuss Defeat of Issue 1

National labor reporter Bob Hennelly wrote an insighful piece of the labor movement's role in the defeat of State Issue 1. Hennelly, a 30-year print and broadcast journalist, wanted to point out that while in-state press was speaking to the role the Ohio AFL-CIO played in defeating Issue 1, the national press was leaving the union out of the conversation. 

"It is said that history is written by the winners. But when it comes to big wins by organized labor, the corporate news media, itself fighting unionization at all costs, tends to ignore unions even when they are shaping history," Hennelly wrote. "Missing from much of the coverage about Ohio voters’ rejection of the Republican legislature’s attempt to raise the threshold for voter approval needed to amend the state constitution from a simple majority to 60 percent — was the central role organized labor played in mobilizing and helping to defeat the scheme."

On Monday morning, Hennelly had Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga on his New York WBAI radio show to discuss the impact labor had in the election, dating back to Lame Duck legislative session in 2023.

"In late November of last year, we decided to be a part of a coalition because we feel very strongly about our rights to  citizen-led initiatives, direct democracy and the principle of one person, one vote," Burga said on the radio program. "We quickly came together to oppose this as a labor movement and joined a coalition with groups like the League of Women Voters and Common Cause Ohio to dominate the scene at the Ohio Statehouse for six months as this issue was debated."

Listen to the full interview with President Burga here (starts at the 30-minute mark)