Rank & File Radio

 After nearly a decade off the air, Rank and File Radio is back.

What does Saskatchewan's energy future mean for the workers and communities that have powered the province for generations? In this episode of Rank & File Radio, we speak with Ken Hoste, Assistant Business Manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2067, about the high-stakes debate over coal, climate policy, and energy security. As the Saskatchewan government doub...

In 2023, the Government of Saskatchewan passed Bill 137 which requires parental consent before a child under age 16 can use a different gender-related name or pronoun. The policy also implemented restrictions on who can teach students about sexual health, and mandates that parents and guardians are informed about this curriculum before it is introduced into the classroom. In this episode of Rank &...

"Hot cargo" is a labour movement tactic in which union members refuse to handle certain goods, either to avoid undermining an active strike or to protest products linked to exploitation and human rights abuses. The strategy has played a role in several historic campaigns, including international labour actions against apartheid in South Africa and more recently by European unions who are opposed t...

Tens of thousands of Canadian public sector workers, their jobs and their workplaces  could be affected by artificial intelligence. In this episode of Rank and File Radio, we look at the different ways AI is reshaping the public sector workforce. We're joined by John Anderson , a senior researcher at the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) who outlines concerns about lac...

In this episode of Rank & File Radio, we sit down with David Robinson ,  Executive Director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers and Librarians (CAUT) to discuss the growing impact of generative AI on post-secondary institutions across Canada. Drawing on decades of experience in academic labor advocacy, David reflects on how AI fits into a longer history of technological disruption i...

Why is there a near-total absence of AI regulation in Canada? Why are the same government bodies charged with overseeing AI also in charge of promoting it? And what are the potential impacts AI could have on our workforce, our sovereignty and our climate? In this episode of Rank & File Radio, we're joined by Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood , Senior Researcher and Political Economist at the Canadian Centr...

What happens when AI use starts creeping into newsrooms? While journalists have already started using AI for peripheral and mundane tasks like transcription and drafting emails, it's slowly but increasingly being used in core journalism work.  In this episode of Rank and File Radio, we sit down with Vincent Pasquier, an associate professor at HEC Montréal, who is researching AI's impact on work, l...

In this episode of Rank & File Radio, Bruno Dobrusin, a researcher and Just Transition Coordinator with the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) discusses how the scale and speed of AI deployment is unprecedented and how it is reshaping transport work. Everything from AI-driven scheduling and predictive maintenance drones in rail systems, to surveillance of bus drivers and the rise of...

Digital systems are quietly quantifying workers' behavior, movements, and productivity in ways you may not even realize.  In this episode of Rank & File Radio, we're joined by Dr. Christina Colclough, founder of the Why Not Lab, a consultancy helping workers and unions around the world negotiate collective rights in digitalized workplaces. She discusses why regulation doesn't stifle innovation and...

After a decade-long  hiatus, Rank and File Radio returns with hosts Doug Nesbitt and Andrew Stevens. To kick off our special series on labour and AI, we've invited Keith Brower Brown to the podcast. Keith is a Labor Center affiliate researcher at UC Berkeley and organizer with Labor Notes and he helps us explore how workers and unions can respond to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence in the...