Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga: “We will not be silenced”

In an address to the 2025 United Steelworkers Constitutional Convention, Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga called on union delegates to look for the true meaning of solidarity – not just as an idea but a way of life. 

“What does solidarity mean in practice, and why do we need to be all in right now?” Burga asked. “The United Steelworkers showed me firsthand what solidarity looks like.” 

A third-generation Steelworker and grandson of a union coal miner, Burga has long been a steadfast advocate for Ohio’s working people. 

True solidarity, he said, empowers workers to fight back against the pitfalls of globalization and privatization and balances the scales when it comes to unjust employers and anti-worker policies. 

“Our collective strength holds power that money can’t buy,” he said. “The struggle requires all labor to come together.” 

Burga praised USW members for their leadership in successful campaigns to raise the Ohio minimum wage and defend the rights of public-sector workers to organize. 

He pointed to the labor movement’s unified response to President Donald Trump’s attempt to strip collective bargaining rights from hundreds of thousands of federal employees as a recent example of solidarity in action. 

“The backlash from the entire labor movement was swift and strong,” Burga said. “We will not be silenced.” 

Before leading the Ohio AFL-CIO, Burga worked for the city of Marion, Ohio, where he helped organize unrepresented city workers under the banner of the United Steelworkers. He later served as president of USW Local 7856.