Labor Force Podcast

Gas prices surge. Costs climb. And we’re told it’s not a priority. In this episode, we break down what the Iran conflict reveals about who the economy actually works for—and why working people are always treated as “the last concern.” From rising energy costs and the reality of the “$145K to get ahead” economy, to union-busting legislation in Florida, it’s the same pattern: decisions made at the t...

From rising oil prices to unpaid TSA workers, this episode looks at how economic crises repeatedly shift the burden onto working people while corporations continue to profit. We break down the ripple effects of the Iran conflict on gas prices and inflation, the government shutdown forcing 50,000 TSA employees to work without pay, and how rising healthcare costs quietly suppress wage growth. We als...

In this episode of the Labor Force Podcast, we look at several stories that reveal a common thread in today’s economy: power. From war policy to automation to union rights, the same question keeps coming up—who controls the system, and who benefits from it? We start with the escalating U.S.–Israeli war on Iran and the broader imperial framework behind it, examining why anti-war movements have hist...

In this episode, we unpack the growing gap between political economic messaging and working-class reality. From retirement security tied to speculative markets and rising health care costs to tariffs that quietly raise consumer prices, we examine how today’s “economic populism” often leaves corporate power untouched while workers absorb the risk. We also break down new data showing unionization ri...

From hospital picket lines to Southern auto plants to a legal brothel in Nevada — and all the way to corporate offices rocked by AI layoffs — this episode connects the dots. More than 31,000 health care workers at Kaiser Permanente are still on strike, demanding enforceable staffing standards and real raises after years of burnout. In New York, nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian proved that holding th...

In this episode, we run through a wave of labor fights and political organizing that all point to the same thing: working people are done waiting their turn. From teachers in San Francisco forcing movement after a historic strike, to nurses in New York City refusing to be rushed into a weak contract, to health care workers walking out at Kaiser Permanente, this is what collective power looks like...

This episode breaks down why unions still work—even as organizing faces political and economic headwinds. We cover new data showing union workers earn more and have better benefits, major wins like the UAW’s first contract at Volkswagen in Chattanooga and Iowa nurses unionizing with the Teamsters, and ongoing strikes by healthcare workers in New York and at Kaiser Permanente. We also look at the p...

This episode looks at how immigration enforcement, union-busting, and corporate cost-cutting are all part of the same war on workers — and how workers are fighting back. We break down the Minneapolis shutdowns demanding ICE leave Minnesota, the growing wave of nurse strikes in NYC and across Kaiser Permanente facilities, UPS’s plan to cut up to 30,000 jobs while posting massive profits, and the Tr...

This episode of Labor Force Podcast tracks a labor movement in motion, from mass protest to workplace transformation. We start in Minnesota, where tens of thousands joined a coordinated economic blackout and protests demanding ICE leave the state, accountability for the killing of Renee Good, and an end to ICE funding—raising serious questions about the power and potential of general strikes. We t...

A turbulent start to 2026 makes one thing clear: workers are being asked to absorb chaos, violence, and exhaustion as “normal”—and more people are refusing. This episode begins with winter disruptions in the Great Lakes region and how constant school closures expose the failure of the five-day workweek, shifting stress and unpaid labor onto educators and families. We then turn to New York City, wh...

In this episode of the Labor Force Podcast, we look at how workers are being squeezed from every direction—globally, politically, and on the job. We examine why imperialism and sanctions, especially in Venezuela, are working-class issues that weaken unions and devastate everyday life. We then turn to New York, where democratic socialists are trying to build on Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral victory to p...

This episode of The Labor Force Podcast takes on the question of power—who holds it, who doesn’t, and what it means for working people right now. We examine Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor of New York City and what it would take for democratic socialist policies to succeed in a city shaped by entrenched wealth and political resistance. From there, we dig into the state of organized labor, the n...

A retrospective on the year that was on the Labor Force Podcast: the developments, trends, worker actions, technology, and all that went into surviving these economic hunger games we’re playing as we soldier on into the back half of the 2020s.   

In this episode of Labor Force Podcast, we break down a turbulent moment for workers’ rights in America—where real gains are colliding with aggressive rollbacks, corporate greed, and an economy that looks strong on paper while millions struggle to get by. We start with developments in Washington, where the House passes the Protect America’s Workforce Act, aiming to restore collective bargaining ri...

This week on The Labor Force Podcast, we cover one of the busiest news cycles of the year—from Hollywood power plays to working-class realities on the ground across the country. We start with the massive proposed takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, as Netflix and Paramount battle for control of some of the most iconic brands in film and TV. Lawmakers, guilds, and labor advocates are already soundi...

This week on the Labor Force Podcast: Starbucks baristas escalate what may become the largest strike in the company’s history, demanding real movement at the bargaining table after years of delay tactics and retaliation. We break down the $35 million New York City settlement, the nationwide picket lines, and why workers say this moment is bigger than coffee. Then we head to Iowa, where 2,000 Unity...

This week on the Labor Force Podcast, we take a hard look at a holiday season defined not by shopping, but by worker power and the escalating fight against a system that keeps squeezing people from every angle. We break down the largest open-ended Starbucks strike in the company’s history, the global Make Amazon Pay mobilization spanning 30+ countries, and the first-contract battles hitting Blue B...

In this episode of The Labor Force Podcast, we dive deep into America’s worsening affordability crisis and the growing worker uprisings pushing back against it. We start with new data showing that nearly one in three low-income households lives paycheck to paycheck, unable to keep up with inflation as wages stagnate and basic costs climb. From there, we explore a revealing local debate in Watertow...

This week on the Labor Force Podcast: The federal government may have reopened, but for thousands of workers, the real impact of the shutdown is far from over. We dig deep into the lives of furloughed workers—from maxed-out credit cards to food bank lines—and the stress that lingers long after paychecks resume. In Pittsburgh, the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh celebrates a landmark victory after th...

In this episode, we trace the through-line connecting a historic political upset in New York City, the grinding federal shutdown, a wave of labor actions across the country, and the everyday financial pressure bearing down on working people. From Zohran Mamdani’s stunning mayoral victory to the strain on air traffic controllers, we dig into the conditions pushing workers to the brink and the movem...

In this episode, we unpack the growing crisis sparked by the government shutdown and the Trump administration’s attack on SNAP benefits—threatening food security for millions of working families. We break down the court fight over federal worker layoffs, the latest mass job cuts at Amazon, and the Boeing machinists still holding the line in St. Louis. Then, we turn to the rising tide of resistance...

This week on The Labor Force Podcast, the ground feels like it’s shifting under everyone’s feet. As the government shutdown stretches on, its ripple effects are hitting far beyond Washington—federal workers without pay, contractors closing up shop, and small businesses left hanging by a thread. We look at how this slowdown is grinding down working people across industries and communities. But whil...

This week on The Labor Force Podcast, we cover a country in motion—from federal workers trapped in a shutdown to Jamaican farmworkers fighting for their rights, Houston hotel staff winning big, and healthcare and aerospace workers holding the line. We also look at Volkswagen’s union showdown, the rise of white-collar organizing, and Shawn Fain’s call for a unified working-class movement built on f...

This week on The Labor Force Podcast, we’re taking a hard look at what happens when the system stops working — and workers don’t. The federal government shutdown continues to ripple through the lives of hundreds of thousands of public servants, forcing families to make impossible choices. In St. Louis, the Boeing strike enters its third month as machinists stand firm for fair pay and respect. Mean...

In this episode, we dive into the latest government shutdown and its very real impact on working families’ healthcare, explore the deepening crisis inside New York State’s correctional system six months after a wildcat strike, and spotlight a brand-new organizing effort at the Downtown Disney Lego Store in California. From the fight over Medicaid and CHIP, to prison staffing shortages and debates...