America’s Work Force Union Podcast

AFL-CIO’s Fred Redmond on Election Night and Allina Hospice Nurses’ First Contract

Two conversations about workers coming together: one on what AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond says organized labor proved in Tuesday’s election and one on hospice

olumbus Trades' Dorsey Hager on Bayer, Intel and Election Results

Dorsey Hager says it is more important to keep workers on a job than to get them there, and he hopes Intel and Bechtel roll straight from the first two fabs into fabs thr

New Bedford Firefighters' William Sylvia on the Fight for Engine 9

Fires can double in size every 30 to 60 seconds, and a room can flash over in about three to five minutes, according to William Sylvia, a New Bedford firefighter of 20 ye

Trails to Trades' Matt Kosara on Scouting and the Skilled Trades

At one training center event, bricklayers had kids building a brick wall, ironworkers set up a beam to walk on, operating engineers brought a digger that the kids ran by

LA/OC Trades' Ernesto Medrano on Prop. 45 and Apprenticeships

Californians vote Nov. 3 on Proposition 45, and the building trades in Los Angeles and Orange counties are urging a no vote. Executive Secretary Ernesto Medrano says the

USW's Charleeka Thompson on NextGen and Engaging Young Union Members

She started at a hazardous waste disposal plant in El Dorado, Arkansas, where the workers know which chemicals can be stored together, which can be incinerated at the sam

NABTU's Dr. Tom Kriger on Trades Futures and the Apprenticeship Boom

Ask 100 parents how to get into college, and they can fill a blackboard. Ask how to get into the Insulators Union, and you get silence. That information gap is the single

TTD on Spirit Airlines Worker Data and FEP Blue on Open Season Benefits

Two conversations that go to the heart of what workers deserve — one on a bankrupt airline treating its fired employees’ most sensitive personal data as a commodity to be

Kim Pierce on The Hands That Built This and the Future of the Trades

For too long, the trades have been treated like a fallback — something you choose when college does not work out. The truth is the world runs on the backs of builders, we

Policy Matters Ohio on the $8.6 Billion Gap Between Work and Wages

Ohio workers are 84% more productive than they were a generation ago. Their wages have gone up 22%. Ohio's union density has fallen from 35.5% in 1979 to 12.8% today. Tha

UFCW 1776 and FarmSTAND on Pennsylvania's Farm Worker Rights Lawsuit

Pennsylvania modeled its labor law on the federal Wagner Act in the 1930s, including the exclusion of agricultural workers from the right to collectively bargain. The exc

SMART's Michael Harris on Sheet Metal Careers and the Training Pipeline

First-year apprentice wages: $87,500. Wages and benefits within four to five years: $125,000 to $200,000. Student debt: zero. Three out of four teens say they would consi

OFT’s Melissa Cropper on School Funding and Labor Lawyer Richard Mack

Two conversations about fighting for the people who need it most — one on what is at stake for Ohio’s schools and working families heading into November 3rd, and one on n

AECOM Tishman's Frank Noviello on 9/11, the Cleanup and Rebuilding NYC

He had a meeting scheduled at the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11. His wife called. He canceled. The next morning, he was at Ground Zero through an empt

AFSCME 1072 on Withheld Raises and Layoffs at University of Maryland

The University System of Maryland negotiated raises with its workers. The raises were legally binding. The state sent the money to cover them. The USM withheld them anywa

American Legion on Veterans Careers and Alliance on Social Security

Two conversations about protecting what Americans have earned — one on helping veterans translate their military service into civilian careers and one on stopping an unel

IATSE Local 415 on Two First Contracts Ratified in Tucson

A projectionist at the Loft Cinema was making $15.50 an hour. After more than a year of bargaining with IATSE Local 415, the vote to ratify the first contract was unanimo

CWA on Call Centers and Ohio AFL-CIO on Election Prep and November 3rd

Two conversations about the work happening right now — one on legislation to stop corporations from offshoring call center jobs while collecting taxpayer money, and one o

Amazon Driver Fred German on DRI-1 and the Fight for the Teamsters

He had been the driver of the month the month before. Top performer two weeks before that. Let go after five years. The stated reason: reduced routes. The actual reason:

OUP USA Guild’s Arbitration Win and TTD’s Regan on Rail and Aviation Safety

Two conversations about workers fighting back — one a hard-won arbitration victory against a prestigious publisher that broke its first contract two weeks after ratifying