Labor Force Podcast

In this episode of Labor Force Podcast, we break down a turbulent moment for workers’ rights in America—where real gains are colliding with aggressive rollbacks, corporate greed, and an economy that looks strong on paper while millions struggle to get by.

We start with developments in Washington, where the House passes the Protect America’s Workforce Act, aiming to restore collective bargaining rights stripped from federal workers ...

This week on The Labor Force Podcast, we cover one of the busiest news cycles of the year—from Hollywood power plays to working-class realities on the ground across the country.

We start with the massive proposed takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, as Netflix and Paramount battle for control of some of the most iconic brands in film and TV. Lawmakers, guilds, and labor advocates are already sounding the alarm about what this kind o...

This week on the Labor Force Podcast: Starbucks baristas escalate what may become the largest strike in the company’s history, demanding real movement at the bargaining table after years of delay tactics and retaliation. We break down the $35 million New York City settlement, the nationwide picket lines, and why workers say this moment is bigger than coffee.

Then we head to Iowa, where 2,000 UnityPoint nurses are preparing for a u...

This week on the Labor Force Podcast, we take a hard look at a holiday season defined not by shopping, but by worker power and the escalating fight against a system that keeps squeezing people from every angle.

We break down the largest open-ended Starbucks strike in the company’s history, the global Make Amazon Pay mobilization spanning 30+ countries, and the first-contract battles hitting Blue Bottle Coffee and SkyHop Global—wher...

In this episode of The Labor Force Podcast, we dive deep into America’s worsening affordability crisis and the growing worker uprisings pushing back against it. We start with new data showing that nearly one in three low-income households lives paycheck to paycheck, unable to keep up with inflation as wages stagnate and basic costs climb.

From there, we explore a revealing local debate in Watertown, NY, where shopping carts used by...

This week on the Labor Force Podcast:

• The federal government may have reopened, but for thousands of workers, the real impact of the shutdown is far from over. We dig deep into the lives of furloughed workers—from maxed-out credit cards to food bank lines—and the stress that lingers long after paychecks resume.

• In Pittsburgh, the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh celebrates a landmark victory after three years on strike against...

In this episode, we trace the through-line connecting a historic political upset in New York City, the grinding federal shutdown, a wave of labor actions across the country, and the everyday financial pressure bearing down on working people. From Zohran Mamdani’s stunning mayoral victory to the strain on air traffic controllers, we dig into the conditions pushing workers to the brink and the movements rising to meet the moment.

We ...

In this episode, we unpack the growing crisis sparked by the government shutdown and the Trump administration’s attack on SNAP benefits—threatening food security for millions of working families. We break down the court fight over federal worker layoffs, the latest mass job cuts at Amazon, and the Boeing machinists still holding the line in St. Louis.

Then, we turn to the rising tide of resistance—from the “No Kings” movement and F...

This week on The Labor Force Podcast, the ground feels like it’s shifting under everyone’s feet. As the government shutdown stretches on, its ripple effects are hitting far beyond Washington—federal workers without pay, contractors closing up shop, and small businesses left hanging by a thread. We look at how this slowdown is grinding down working people across industries and communities.

But while government action stalls, worker ...

This week on The Labor Force Podcast, we cover a country in motion—from federal workers trapped in a shutdown to Jamaican farmworkers fighting for their rights, Houston hotel staff winning big, and healthcare and aerospace workers holding the line. We also look at Volkswagen’s union showdown, the rise of white-collar organizing, and Shawn Fain’s call for a unified working-class movement built on fair wages, healthcare, retirement, ...

This week on The Labor Force Podcast, we’re taking a hard look at what happens when the system stops working — and workers don’t.

The federal government shutdown continues to ripple through the lives of hundreds of thousands of public servants, forcing families to make impossible choices. In St. Louis, the Boeing strike enters its third month as machinists stand firm for fair pay and respect. Meanwhile, contagious organizing is spr...

In this episode, we dive into the latest government shutdown and its very real impact on working families’ healthcare, explore the deepening crisis inside New York State’s correctional system six months after a wildcat strike, and spotlight a brand-new organizing effort at the Downtown Disney Lego Store in California.

From the fight over Medicaid and CHIP, to prison staffing shortages and debates over solitary confinement, to worke...

This week, we cover a wave of worker struggles and the bigger political forces shaping them:

• IAM-Boeing showdown in St. Louis – workers fight back after Boeing calls their contract a “fake deal.”

• Houston hotel strike – Hilton workers demand fair pay, humane workloads, and respect.

• UAW at Volkswagen – momentum builds in Tennessee as workers weigh strike pledges.

• Iowa nurses organize – a grassroots fight for safety, patient ...

This week on the Labor Force Podcast:

• Machinists at Boeing and aerospace workers at GE show what real solidarity looks like.

• Hotel workers in Houston hold the line for a living wage.

• Google’s hidden army of AI raters get chewed up and tossed aside.

• Starbucks baristas keep fighting through stonewalling and retaliation.

• Hollywood animators and production crews push union power into new territory.

• And a reality check on the s...

In this episode of the Labor Force Podcast, we cover strike updates shaking up industries across the country—from Teamsters holding strong in Massachusetts and Minnesota, to Boeing machinists in St. Louis, to Hilton hotel workers in Houston making history in Texas. We dig into the widening gap between right-to-work states and free bargaining states, and what new research says about wages, union density, and democracy itself.

We als...

September is here, but the labor movement hasn’t cooled down one bit. In this episode, we cover strikes stretching from Massachusetts to Houston, workers pushing back in the defense industry, and a historic new path for Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize in California.

We’ll dig into:

• Massachusetts trash collectors striking for parity and dignity.

• Defense industry walkouts at GE Aerospace and Boeing, where machinists are callin...

This week on the Labor Force Podcast:

• Strikes stretching from trash haulers to Boeing machinists

• A razor-thin UAW win at a new battery plant

• National park workers unionizing in droves

• A Labor Day push: Workers Over Billionaires

• The healthcare grind—why “preventive” doesn’t mean covered

• New data on young adults hitting pause on the American Dream

  A well-deserved Labor Day to all who toil in these capitalist hunger games. ...

Another day, another blessed dollar—except not if you’re building billion-dollar jets for $20 an hour or getting paid zero bucks while passengers board.In this episode:

• Boeing on the Brink – 3,200 workers walk out in Missouri and Illinois, shutting down production of fighter jets and commercial planes. Their message? Respect doesn’t come cheap, and “best and final” isn’t final.

• Air Canada Attendants Take Flight – Ten...