Heartland Labor Forum

Should the labor movement endorse reproductive justice, including abortion rights, as a working families’ issue?  This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, we’ll ask union women who are leading a […] The post Should the AFL-CIO Endorse the Right to Abortion? and UPS: What Do the Workers Think? appeared first on KKFI .

There’s a growing chorus of workers demanding more democracy in their unions. We talk to leaders of Essential Workers for Democracy – EW4D who have formed the rank & file […] The post Essential Workers for Union Democracy: a Growing Movement and The Ghost Workers Behind AI appeared first on KKFI .

What do Starbucks, and Trader Joes have in common? Right their workers are organizing unions and some with great success. What else do they all have in common? They both […] The post Organizing Starbucks and Trader Joes appeared first on KKFI .

Union busting has been around since the Pharaohs. Today’s “union avoidance” methods may be more sophisticated, but they’re still union busting, and the busters are getting rich off it. We’ll […] The post 21st Century Union Busting and What’s in the Meany Labor Archives? appeared first on KKFI .

As Red State Governors and legislatures ban books and dictate to schools and colleges what they can’t teach, we’ll take a look at the damage to young minds from the […] The post Whitewashing Labor and American History appeared first on KKFI .

The Industrial Workers of the World or IWW is remembered as militant and creative. Its vision was one big union where workers decide what to produce, working conditions, and pay. […] The post Ahmed White: Under the Iron Heel: The Wobblies and the Capitalist War on Radical Workers and Isn’t It Time to Nationalize the Railroads? appeared first on KKFI .

State legislatures including Iowa and Arkansas are rolling back child labor law protections. Ultra conservative groups, including the National Restaurant Association, are pushing bills that allow 14-year-olds to work the […] The post The Return of Child Labor — Again??? appeared first on KKFI .

IT’S PLEDGE DRIVE. PLEASE CALL OR GO ONLINE TO MAKE A PLEDGE Should the slogan “Good Jobs for All” include the disabled?  In Missouri it’s not so clear. This week […] The post Sheltered Workshops and 22¢ an Hour The Fight to Ban the Subminimum Wage appeared first on KKFI .

The Kansas City Labor Beacon is under new ownership – the Kansas City AFL-CIO.  We’ll hear from Labor Beacon editor Tristen Amezcua- Hogan and publisher Abril Negrete about the past, […] The post The New Labor Beacon under KC AFL-CIO Ownership and Labor Leader Profile: United Steelworker District 11 Director Emil Ramirez appeared first on KKFI .

As the largest collective bargaining unit in North America, the National UPS agreement with the Teamsters Union is a classic Labor vs Capital stand-off.   Both sides are heavily dug-in […] The post Teamsters Team Up to Fight UPS appeared first on KKFI .

Wage theft is more common than we think, especially against immigrant workers whose employers often skip out without paying them for their work. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, […] The post The Fight Against Wage Theft and Jon Carpenter on the Clay County Fair Contracting Ordinance appeared first on KKFI .

We’ll delve into two hot Kansas City – City Council races – the 5th district at-large featuring Darrell Curls and Mike Kelley and in the 1st district Chris Gahagan. We’ve […] The post Candidates in Two Hot KC City Council Races: Darrell Curls and Michael Kelly and Chris Gahagan and Nathan Willett (invited) appeared first on KKFI .

Robert Pollin what it will cost as we phase out the fossil fuel industry to provide a just transition for fossil fuel workers into other jobs without major losses in […] The post Robert Pollin: Just Transitions to a Green Economy and New Stadium: Who Will Pay? Who will Benefit? appeared first on KKFI .

“We don’t trust teachers to teach, we’re banning books, we’re doing educational gag orders, but now because of the politics, we trust them to carry a loaded firearm.” So says […] The post American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten with Local 691’s Jason Roberts on the Attack on Teachers and Whitewashing of Education appeared first on KKFI .

There’s an apprenticeship program for people who want to find work in the industrial sewing and garment trades. Indeed, Kansas City’s Sewing Labs offers the only apprenticeship program in sewing […] The post Inside the Sewing Lab Apprenticeship Program and Traveling Musicians Local 1000 appeared first on KKFI .

We take a ride on the bad bills clown car through Kansas and Missouri. Get on board to find out what’s happening in the legislatures.  Bills are being proposed that […] The post What Happens When Work Disappears? and Management Rights vs Workers appeared first on KKFI .

We’ll be riding the bad bills clown car through Kansas and Missouri. Get on board to find out what’s happening in the legislatures.  Bills are being proposed that would assault […] The post Riding the Bad Bills’ Clown Car through Kansas and Missouri appeared first on KKFI .

Meet Saul Schniderman American labor’s culture maven, founder of the Great labor Arts Exchange, assembler of the national inventory of American labor landmarks, author of the Friday Labor Folklore newsletter, […] The post Labor’s Friday Folklorist, Saul Schniderman appeared first on KKFI .

Did any of you listeners wonder whether the Ohio rail derailment could happen here? Do we have bomb trains coming through KC? On the show we’ll find out from the […] The post Derailed in Ohio! What About Kansas City? What’s Coming Thru A Rail Near You? appeared first on KKFI .

The Kansas City Building Trades – the union of construction unions – has a new leader: Ralph Oropeza. We’ll ask Ralph about himself and whether he’s expecting a building boom […] The post New Building Trades Council Leader Ralph Oropeza and SMART Local 2’s Greg Chastain appeared first on KKFI .

There’s a new book out on how organized labor can build its power to take on corporate America and win. It asks how we get the leverage necessary to force […] The post Labor Power & Strategy: Organizing around the Choke Points appeared first on KKFI .

The National Nurses United represents the RNs at Menorah and Research Hospitals. Does HCA want to bust their union? Find out this week on the Heartland Labor Forum. Then, one […] The post Staffing Our Hospitals: Nurses vs HCA and The Cost of Worker Misclassification appeared first on KKFI .

Between attacks on our public schools and what LGBTQ folk called “hate week” the Kansas legislature is full of bizarre agendas. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum well ask […] The post Sherman Smith, Reflecting on the Kansas Legislature and Kansas City Public Schools Update from AFT Local 691 – New Superintendent and big Contract Win! appeared first on KKFI .

Many workers today work in teams. That sounds great because workers know how to run things, but more often than not their knowledge is used against them by management. This […] The post Beyond Team Management and Teamsters Delivering a New UPS Contract appeared first on KKFI .

Do rural working-class people vote against their economic interests because of cultural issues, or could something else be pushing them to vote conservative? Shane Hamilton’s book, Trucking Country: The Road […] The post Trucking Country; The Road to America’s Wal-Mart Economy by Shane Hamilton and Labor Leader Series: Amber Gibson Navigating the Future for Argosy Casino Workers appeared first on...