Statement of Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga in Response to Kasich Press Conference
Contrary to the erroneous report in today’s Columbus Dispatch, the Ohio AFL-CIO has never entered into any series of meetings or negotiations on Senate Bill 5.
Yesterday, Governor Kasich, along with House Speaker Batchelder and Senate President Niehaus called a press conference to invite Ohio labor leaders to a meeting to negotiate a compromise with regard to SB 5. The Ohio AFL-CIO attempted dialogue during the legislative process and was denied that opportunity.
Since the bill passed and was signed into law, The Ohio AFL-CIO has been clear that if SB 5 is repealed in its entirety we would be willing to address any concerns that the Governor and the legislature have with the collective bargaining law. This is our position and will remain our position throughout this campaign.
The Ohio AFL-CIO stands firmly with the We Are Ohio Coalition and the nearly 1.3 million Ohioans who have signed a petition to repeal the bill in its entirety.
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We will restore basic rights for all Ohio workers. We will repeal SB 5.
Thank you for keeping up the fight.
In solidarity,
Tim Burga
President, Ohio AFL-CIO