Labor Force Podcast

In this segment, we look at the growing disconnect between Wall Street's economic optimism and the reality facing working people—and increasingly, even the upper-middle class. The war with Iran has pushed up oil and energy costs. Mortgage rates are surging again. Meanwhile, the national debt has blown past $40 trillion.  And the squeeze isn't limited to low-income Americans. Even households earnin...

When did economic security become something workers are expected to build entirely on their own? This segment looks at the growing affordability crisis, stubborn inflation, and the increasingly popular idea that workers need to become their own economic safety nets. Then we look at a very different response: unionization and collective action. Starbucks Workers United has launched a nationwide boy...

In this segment, we look at the escalating U.S.-Canada trade war and what it could mean for American workers and consumers. The Trump administration has revived a Depression-era trade tool, raising new questions about whether we're repeating some of the mistakes of the past. We look at how tariffs on Canadian goods and raw materials could push prices higher, why toilet paper has suddenly become pa...

AI isn't just changing the jobs we do — it's changing the balance of power inside the workplace. In this segment, we look at two developments that are increasingly converging: AI-driven changes to hiring and the rapid expansion of workplace surveillance technology. New research from Goldman Sachs suggests that industries with greater exposure to AI are experiencing weaker employment growth, with *...

What happens when the people who do the work have almost no control over the economic decisions that determine whether their jobs survive? In this segment, we look at a series of labor fights and economic pressures that reveal a common theme: workers are constantly being asked to absorb uncertainty created by corporations, governments, and markets — while having very little say over the decisions...

What happens when women become more economically independent—but the expectations of marriage and parenthood don't change? In this segment, we look at the complicated relationship between women's earnings, marriage, family life, and America's declining birth rate. A recent Hill piece examines research suggesting that couples face greater separation risks when women become the higher earners.  Then...

The economy may still be growing, but for millions of workers, the cost of simply getting by keeps rising. In this segment, we examine the growing affordability crisis from multiple angles: record-high August gas prices, wages struggling to keep pace with inflation, mounting recession warnings, soaring government and corporate borrowing costs, rising grain prices, and the increasingly disturbing u...

Workers across the country are fighting back — and the battles are happening on multiple fronts. We start in Minnesota, where union members and activists have faced federal surveillance and indictments connected to protests against ICE.  Then we turn to Amazon delivery drivers in New York, where the Teamsters are challenging mass layoffs. We also look at Tyson Foods' decision to eliminate more tha...

Trump built his political comeback around a series of big economic promises: lower prices, cheaper gasoline, affordable housing, lower mortgage rates, more manufacturing jobs, a balanced federal budget, and an economy that would “grow like nobody’s ever grown before.” But how much of that has actually happened? In this segment, we put the promises up against the economic reality.  We also examine...

Americans are working, earning more on paper—and still falling further behind. In this segment, we examine the growing disconnect between the headline economy and the economic reality facing working people. Inflation is once again outpacing wage growth, real wages have fallen for four consecutive months, and millions of workers are still trying to recover purchasing power lost during the post-pand...

In this segment, we connect several stories that reveal a growing contradiction in the American economy. At Cargill's meatpacking facility in Fort Morgan, Colorado, more than 1,700 workers remain locked out as employees fight over a contract and their future at the plant. Meanwhile, Cargill salt workers in Newark, California, have gone on strike over wages and soaring health-care costs. At the sam...

The Trump administration says America has entered a “new kind of economy.” But what does that actually mean for working people? In this segment, we look beyond the political and economic headlines and examine what workers are actually experiencing in 2026. Housing remains painfully out of reach. Instability surrounding the U.S.-Iran conflict threatens to push energy and transportation costs higher...

Workers are finding new ways to fight back—and the latest battles show just how much the American labor movement is changing. In this segment, we look at a federal judge blocking the VA for the third time from terminating its union contracts with AFGE, the growing push to unionize Uber and Lyft drivers in California and Illinois, and what these new forms of collective bargaining could mean for the...

The economy may look strong on paper—but for millions of Americans, everyday life is getting harder to afford. From groceries and gas to housing, healthcare, and even dating, rising costs are forcing working people to make increasingly painful choices. Americans are cutting back, working more hours just to stay in place, and questioning whether they can afford the life they were promised. And the...

AI is changing the workforce—but not in the way most people expected. In this segment, we examine the contradictions of the AI economy. While Silicon Valley celebrates a new "golden age of entrepreneurship," thousands of workers are experiencing a very different reality. AI is making it easier than ever to launch a business, but it's also eliminating traditional jobs, reshaping industries, and cre...

In this segment, the stories may seem unrelated—but together they point to something much bigger. We examine Abdul El-Sayed's upset victory in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, growing signs of working-class politics gaining traction across the Midwest, and what those elections may signal about the future of economic populism. Then we turn to the labor movement, where 1,700 locked-out Cargill...

The path to the middle class used to seem straightforward: earn a degree, land a stable job, and build a career. But for millions of young Americans, that formula is breaking down. From shrinking hiring opportunities to the rise of YouTube, TikTok, and Substack entrepreneurs, we examine why more workers are questioning whether the traditional career ladder still exists—and what that means for the...

Kevin Hassett says the economy is "firing on all cylinders." So why do so many Americans feel like they're falling further behind? In this segment, we examine the disconnect between economic headlines and everyday reality—from inflation, rising mortgage rates, and AI-driven job insecurity to shrinking affordability, mounting debt, and the growing gap between the middle class and real wealth. We al...

From Division I athletes to VA employees, John Deere workers, and refinery operators, this week's labor news makes one thing clear: unions aren't disappearing—they're expanding into every corner of the workforce. In this episode segment, we break down the largest athlete-led unionization effort in college sports, the latest court victory protecting the AFGE's contract at the Department of Veterans...

Winning the Vote Is Just the Beginning. In this segment, we examine what happens after workers organize—and why winning a union election is often only the first step. In this episode: 🥩 More than 1,700 Teamsters at Cargill in Colorado reach a tentative agreement after a 70-day lockout. ⚓ ILWU solidarity forces C&H Sugar back to the bargaining table after longshore workers refuse to cross pic...

Is capitalism losing America's confidence? New polling shows favorable views of capitalism have plummeted, while most Americans believe the economy is rigged for the wealthy. In this episode, we connect that shift in public opinion to rising grocery prices, soaring housing costs, expensive gas, shrinking purchasing power, and why many workers feel they're falling behind despite a growing economy....

Union organizing is spreading far beyond factories and warehouses. In this segment, we examine the growing movement among Kaiser Permanente physicians, the Mount Nittany Medical Center strike, Harvard graduate workers' strike threat, Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh employees winning their union, and SUNY faculty negotiating AI protections into their new contract. We also break down a new Econom...

Will AI replace your job—or simply change it? In this segment, we separate AI hype from reality. We examine why today's AI still struggles with real-world work, the controversy surrounding an AI robot introduced in a New York school district, and why even AI companies admit there's little evidence of widespread job displacement—at least for now. We also explore how AI is quietly reshaping workplac...

When politicians talk about low wages, the debate almost always centers on the hourly rate: $15, $17, or $20 an hour. But there’s a massive side of the equation we rarely talk about: hours. If you make $17/hour at 40 hours a week, you’re making ~$35,000 a year before taxes. Cut those hours in half, and your income drops off a cliff—no matter how high the hourly rate is. In this segment, we break d...

Millions of Americans feel trapped in jobs they no longer want—and one of the biggest reasons isn't their paycheck. It's their health insurance. In this segment, we examine the growing problem of "job lock," where workers stay in jobs they dislike because losing employer-sponsored health coverage could put their family's finances—and their health—at risk. We also look at what this means for retire...