Heartland Labor Forum

UE, The United Electrical Workers, was the first US union to denounce Trump’s attacks on Venezuela. Other unions have now joined them demanding “no more blood for oil.” This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we talk to UE President Scott Slawson about why and how union leaders talk to members about controversial political issues. Then, we’ll interview author Joe Embersberger about how the media ha...

A year ago on the Heartland Labor Forum we predicted what was in store for working people in 2025. This week we’ll look in our 2026 crystal ball and ask How will workers and unions do this year? Will organizing surge despite a paralyzed NLRB? Will Missourians reject gerrymandered maps? Will unions join the No Kings coalition? Will the Chiefs get a deal in Kansas?

It’s our Best of 2025 part 2 show. We'll hear interesting interviews, features, and songs from the last year, including the labor system that built the Panama Canal, how an independent labor union is succeeding in the current anti-labor environment, and a catchy tune about Jimmy Hoffa.

It’s our Best of 2025 part 1 show. We'll rediscover a long-lost labor leader, hear from the most successful NLRB general counsel in years, and listen to a famous labor song written by a lawyer plus much more. Catch up on what’s happened to the working class this year.

What do you get when you cross two of the most popular concepts in modern-era: mindfulness and resistance? You guessed it: a teach-in by Hollywood film actor and  Zen Buddhist priest Peter Coyote. He’ll be radicalizing us this week on the Heartland Labor Forum and telling us about the Theatre of Protest. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.

Mental health problems are on the rise, and finding help can be tough. To make matters worse, people often don’t want to talk about it. So, this week on The Heartland Labor Forum we’re going to talk about it and ask what our local unions do to support union leaders’, members’ and their families’ mental health. We’ll talk with two unions – the Plumbers Local 8 and Firefighters Local 42 that both ha...

Authoritarians fear teachers. Why? Because propaganda and fear lose their grip when students become critical thinkers. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten will talk about her book "Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy.”  Then, one of the most common and underreported crimes in the US is wage theft. It...

As we did last Thanksgiving, this week we are giving thanks for labor songs and working music on the Heartland Labor Forum. Work songs would alleviate boredom and synchronize the work, while also providing important social commentary about working conditions and progressive ideals. We'll hear tracks from old favorites Pete Seeger and Anne Feeney, as well as some unexpected working music from Devo...

Pharmacy techs at KU Medical Center want a union. The Med Center has hired a union busting law firm. It’s not the first time. We’ll ask workers why they’re organizing. Then, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, or IUPAT, is one of the most progressive in the country. That goes for the KC Painters as well. We’ll talk to Painters District 3 leader Joey Flickner as part of our union...

“While there is a lower class, I am in it. While there is a criminal element, I am of it. While there is a soul in prison, I am not free.” That’s the credo of the visionary labor leader Eugene Victor Debs. Last month Senator Bernie Sanders was awarded the 2025 Eugene V. Debs Award. AOC introduced him, and this week on the Heartland Labor Forum we’ll learn about Debs from both and why he still insp...

Over a year and a half ago, faculty and academic staff at the University of Kansas overwhelmingly voted in favor of unionization as the United Academics of KU. So why don’t they have a union contract by now? We’ll find out this week on the Heartland Labor Forum. Then, with the inherent adversarial relationship between labor and management, can the two sides ever really cooperate? We'll ask Bob Jac...

It’s all about shutdown and resistance. First, Jessica LaPointe is President of the American Federation of Government Employees Social Security Council. We’ll ask her and a local worker about the present and future of Social Security. Then, we’ll ask federal union leaders from HUD, the IRS the Army Corps of Engineers and Social Security how members are surviving with no pay and why they want more...

Should your tax dollars that go to build publicly funded construction projects be used to pay for work done by companies that rip off their workers, don’t provide health insurance or pay for workers compensation insurance to cover on-the-job injuries or not pay employment taxes? We’ll talk to two leaders of unions in the building trades about what fair contracting should be and why they support pa...

Since 1935, the rules for union organizing and bargaining for most private sector companies have been set by the National Labor Relations Act. Since 1935 corporate America has repeatedly undermined and weakened labor law so that now both Trump and the Supreme Court are poised to kill or paralyze it. We’ll have a roundtable discussion on where we are with labor law and where we can go if unions and...

Ever wonder why official economic reports don’t match your experience?  We'll talk to economist Heather Long about how the rich are doing so well that it skews the overall economic data. Then, a century ago Arturo Giovannitti was nearly executed for speaking since union organizers were not permitted free speech rights. We’ll talk to Marcella Bencivenni about this working-class hero who helped win...

Walter Reuther died in a plane crash in May 1970. The government ruled it an accident, but was it? Or was it something more nefarious? We'll talk with Rob McKenzie about his provocative new book The Assassination of Walter Reuther: Why They Did It, How We Know. Then, as Trump plays fast and loose with tariffs, we’ll ask what a pro-worker trade policy looks like? Our feature is Safety First with Ma...

Pittsburgh Post Gazette workers have been on strike for more than a thousand days. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we’ll ask Jon Schleuss Vice President of their union, the News Guild, why it’s lasted so long and how the workers are still staying strong. Then, Representative Keri Ingle is back from the battle over gerrymandering and initiative petitions in Jeff City. We’ll get an insider’s...

Is Fascism creeping toward the USA or is it already here? We’ll hear about two books to help you decide. First fascism expert Jason Stanley on his book Erasing History; How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future. Then A Young Person’s Guide to Fascism by illustrator Sue Coe and writer Stephen Eisenman which explores the threads of fascism in U.S. history and shows their baleful influence...

Albert Einstein once said he’d rather have been a plumber. Here in KC Plumbers Local 8 has a new leader - Matt Harris. He’ll be on the Heartland Labor Forum this week. Then, Donna Birks rose through the ranks to become financial secretary of UAW Local 31 at the GM Fairfax plant, then led the Tri-County Labor Council and now in retirement is heading Labor’s Educational and Political Club Independen...

This week the Missouri legislature will once again meet to undermine the will of the voters. On the Heartland Labor Forum we’ll talk to Benjamin Singer of Respect Missouri Voters […] The post Respect Missouri Voters Wants to Ban Politicians from Overruling the Will of the Voters and Boeing St. Louis on Strike appeared first on KKFI .

Jennifer Abruzzo was General Counsel to the National Labor Relations Board during the Biden administration. She pioneered changes to help restore the right to organize unions to American workers. Trump […] The post Former NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo. She was the best we’ve had and Trump fired her appeared first on KKFI .

Washburn University students from Topeka joined a Witness for Peace delegation to Cuba to learn about race, environment and the U.S. economic blockade aimed at undoing the Cuban revolution. They […] The post Cuba Through the Eyes of Washburn University Students appeared first on KKFI .

The Trump administration has attacked the federal workforce with firings, union busting, weakened job protections, reduced telework, and speedups.  This week in our continuing labor leader series on the Heartland […] The post Labor Leader Series: Federal Unions and Workers in the Crosshairs of DOGE appeared first on KKFI .

In an age of Amazon, Starbucks and Google it may seem impossible for workers to win a union. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, we’ll talk with Olivia Geho, […] The post What the Boss Doesn’t You To Know. . .and NAFTA-USMCA Renegotiation: Where Is Trade Justice? appeared first on KKFI .

Economist Richard Wolff – podcaster, professor, Marxist and strong advocate for worker-owned cooperatives is more relevant today than ever. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we’ll ask Rick Wolff […] The post Richard Wolff: How Will Trump’s Economic Plans Change Our Working Class? appeared first on KKFI .