America’s Work Force Union Podcast

A nursing home company cheated nearly 6,000 workers out of wages for years. The Department of Labor sued, went to trial and won $35.8 million. Then a federal appeals court ruled that federal wage law does not cover some of those unpaid hours and told workers to go find their own lawyer in state court to recover the rest. On today's episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast, longtime union lawy...

Bloomberg Philanthropies just committed $90 million to get high school students directly into registered apprenticeship programs across 10 cities. Chattanooga got approximately $9 million of it. And UA Local 43 — chartered in 1890 and at near full employment today — is part of the team building the program. On today's trades day episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast, UA Local 43 Plumbers a...

Someone created a deep fake video of SAG-AFTRA's chief negotiator saying false things about the union's own contract during the 2023 ratification vote. Tens of thousands of people saw it before Instagram took it down five days later. It is the kind of story that explains why the fight for AI protections in the entertainment industry matters far beyond Hollywood. On today's episode of America's Wor...

Renewables produced zero megawatts for four straight days during a recent winter storm while coal, gas and nuclear carried the full grid load. Southwestern Pennsylvania has the second-largest natural gas deposits in North America, barely tapped. And Boilermakers Local 154 Business Agent Shawn Steffee believes his region can lead the national energy and data center build-out — with a workforce read...

One carrier controlling 40 percent of the U.S. rail freight market. Monthly grade-crossing safety inspections are being reduced to quarterly. And a Long Island Rail Road strike that stopped the trains and finally delivered what two presidential emergency boards had already recommended. On today's episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast, Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen Secretary-Treasurer B...

The top 1 percent of American households now hold 31.7 percent of all U.S. wealth — the highest concentration since the Federal Reserve began tracking in 1989. Workers' wages are not keeping pace with their productivity. And the AFL-CIO just came out of what its secretary-treasurer called the best convention he has attended in twenty years. On today's episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast...

The first drone is expected off the assembly line this week at an Anduril manufacturing campus in Pickaway County that didn't exist eighteen months ago. Data center and power plant construction is breaking ground in Asheville. A $325 million courthouse is going up in downtown Columbus under a community benefit agreement. And the Columbus building trades are on pace to work more than 20 million hou...

Two conversations built around a single question: what does real economic security look like for working people — and who is actually delivering it? United Labor Agency Executive Director Dave Megenhardt closes out a strong program year with 1,002 job placements at an average wage of $23.58 per hour, climbing to $28.78 for workers who completed vocational training first. He discusses healthcare's...

He won an eight-way Democratic primary with nearly 38 percent of the vote — 16 points ahead of his nearest competitor. He is a union ironworker, the son of a machinist and the grandson of an autoworker, now running to unseat Rep. Max Miller in one of Ohio's most closely watched House races. On today's episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast, congressional candidate Brian Poindexter returns t...

The people who maintain the radar, navigation aids, communications equipment and automation systems that air traffic control depends on have been understaffed for years. In May, the FAA delivered a workforce plan — required by Congress — that commits to hiring 750 new technicians over two years, establishes advance-of-retirement hiring authority and draws a formal line between certified technician...

Two conversations. One theme: workers fighting for what they deserve — and winning when they stand together. First, IAM Union retired International President Tom Buffenbarger joins as the independent labor voice to cover three urgent stories. A Washington Post-covered study reveals the United States spends just $4,000 on average training a skilled tradesperson against a needed investment of approx...

Construction workers make up 7.4% of the U.S. workforce but account for nearly 18% of all suicides with a reported industry classification. The data on the problem is established. The root causes have never been comprehensively studied. That may be about to change. On today's trades day episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast, Mechanical Insulators LMCT Executive Director Pete Ielmini joins...

On this episode of the America's Work Force Union Podcast brings together two conversations that could not be more timely — one on the state of the labor movement heading into a critical political year, and one on keeping union members safe and covered during peak travel season. First, North Coast Area Labor Federation President Pat Gallagher joins fresh from the AFL-CIO convention in Minneapolis...

Most workers in the United States lack enforceable legal protections against workplace heat. Only seven states have standards on the books. And the federal OSHA proposal that was supposed to change that is stuck in limbo — leaving millions of workers exposed to preventable illness and death as summer temperatures climb. On today's episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast, NRDC Senior Advocate...

One in five Americans lives with a mental health condition. Employee assistance programs have existed since the 1940s. And the field is now entering a third wave — one that asks not just how to help workers after they are struggling, but how to build workplaces where fewer people reach that point. On today's episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast, Carelon Behavioral Health Medical Director...

Episode 122 of America's Work Force Union Podcast brings together two important conversations — one looking back at the founding of the nation and one looking forward at a crisis that could reshape retirement security for 80 million Americans. First, American Legion Media and Communications Director Jeff Stoffer joins for a farewell segment after 26 years at the Legion and a partnership with AWF d...

A nuclear reactor is under construction in Tennessee. A fuel fabrication facility has steel going vertical. And $10 billion in investment is projected to create up to 3,000 jobs across skilled trades, technical roles and professional positions in East Tennessee alone. On this episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast, Tennessee Nuclear Network Director Bill Tindal breaks down why Oak Ridge has...

Today's America's Work Force Union Podcast brings two major stories together in one conversation-packed episode. First, UPTE-CWA Local 9119 President Dan Russell discusses the union's landmark organizing win — 2,100 University of California tech workers added to the bargaining unit, making UPTE the largest tech worker bargaining unit in the country at 8,400 members. Russell breaks down the subtle...

Twenty-nine years ago, Dave Baker was told Iron Workers Local 44 was going to build a bridge. This week, drill shaft work on the Brent Spence Bridge companion project officially began. On this episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast, Local 44 Business Manager Dave Baker discusses the decades of political and funding gridlock that stalled one of the most critical infrastructure projects in th...

Workers at Trinity Health Grand Haven Hospital voted 89 to 66 to keep their union — after their employer had already illegally stripped it from them. The NLRB went to court seeking an emergency order to restore recognition while the case was litigated. Two Trump-appointed Sixth Circuit judges said no. The dissent came from a Reagan appointee. On this episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast,...

Trey Martin joined the Iron Workers at 19 with no clear path to the middle class. Twenty years later, he watched his wife nearly die from two autoimmune diseases and nearly go bankrupt in the process — even with solid union health insurance. That experience, and a Congress that has failed to address healthcare for his entire lifetime, convinced him it was time to run. On this episode of America's...

A profitable MillerCoors distributor in West Virginia is demanding wage cuts, retirement rollbacks and health insurance premium increases of up to 880%. The company is not claiming financial hardship. And 49 Teamsters Local 175 members voted unanimously to strike — and have been running 24-hour, seven-day-a-week picket lines ever since. On this episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast, Teamst...

AT&T Mobility wireless workers just ratified a strong new contract covering 9,000 people across 36 states — and a 95% strike authorization vote is a big reason why the bargaining committee had the leverage it needed. On this episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast, CWA District 4 Administrative Director Frank Mathews discusses the contract win, the CWA Worker Power Agenda built directly...

Three years after the East Palestine derailment, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has adopted the Rail Safety Act as an amendment to the Build America 250 Act — mandating two-person freight train crews, new hazmat transparency requirements and improved defect detector standards. It is the biggest rail safety step in more than two decades. On this episode of America's Work Forc...

US employers spend $1.7 billion every year trying to stop workers from organizing. One union-busting consultant earned $7 million alone last year. Amazon spent more than $26.6 million on outside consultants in 2025. And the Department of Labor is enforcing disclosure requirements for unions while largely ignoring the same rules for companies and law firms that fight workers. On this episode of Ame...