Voice of the People: Radio By and For the 99%

Our word of the week is “manufacturing consent,” a fundamental understanding we carry in this show. We also look at the organizing victory of the United Auto Workers Union (UAW) at the southern Volkswagen manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and a potential strike at more southern plants by the UAW. Then we focus in on the repression of free speech on campuses across the nation with a sp...

Sue Kirchmyer, Soundman Jim and Mark announce 2 new union recognition requests in Missoula: from the DFTBA Workers Union and the University of Montana Graduate Employees Union. We hear from Collette Berg, Taylor Lennox and Ethan Shafron, 3 members of the U of M Graduate Employees Union, in our interview of the week. A brief update on the Boeing situation will precede an editorial by Tony Davis on...

Soundman Jim and Mark host this episode. Our word of the week is “economics.” We will hear a lecture by University of Montana Professor Clint Walker on “Taking the Pulse of Democracy Under Putin.” We will cover the recent closures of two Missoula County wood products industry operations. And we will cover the ongoing economic saga of one of the world’s major airplane manufacturers, Boeing. And las...

Friend of the Show Alan Noonan joins Soundman Jim and Mark looking at our word of the week: “merger.” We will listen to the speeches and to some of the participants in last month’s Palestine support rally in Missoula, followed by an editorial by Robbie Liben. And we have our resident former Boeing engineer, soundman Jim Gillan, who will lead us in discussion about that troubled company and how its...

Soundman Jim, Linda Gillison and Mark learn about the word of the week: “enemy of the people.” And we have a feature interview of Bozeman attorney John Meyer on the success in repelling the Montana Legislature’s attack on Montana’s citizen initiative process. We also have four stories on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the persecution of Julian Assange by the US government, a blistering review of th...

Sue Kirchmyer, Soundman Jim and Mark explore our word of the week: “empire.” We also cover some stories in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. And we talk about Putin’s interview with Tucker Carlson, and the prison death of Russian dissident Alexi Navalny. Then we examine the special counsel’s report of whether President Biden should be prosecuted for his possession of classified military documents in h...

Soundman Jim and Mark go in depth with the latest news around Israel's assault in Gaza and the spreading winds of war. Tony Davis reads his opinion on Israel and genocide. We also go in depth on why Boeing has a difficult time keeping doors on their planes. Our Word of the Week is "Rules-based Order."

Featured is an interview with Israeli International Law Professor Neve Gordon who walks us through the background of the atrocities in Gaza with a discussion about the charges of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice made by South Africa and what ordinary citizens can do. Alan Noonan, Soundman Jim and Mark dive into the Word of the Week "Immunity" and how that rel...

Our Word of the Week is “genocide.” We feature an interview with Neve Gordon, an Israeli human rights activist and academic on the nature of the Israeli apartheid regime. Soundman Jim, Linda Gillison and Mark will cover the charges of genocide that South Africa has brought against Israel. We also look at the suppression of free speech in the US on the Gaza situation and its ramifications. Also, in...

Soundman Jim and Mark study the Word of the Week: Disinformation. We also cover the Colorado Supreme Court finding that Donald Trump is ineligible to be on the Colorado primary ballot. Next we talk about the National Nurses United union calling on the CDC to not repeat its mistakes made during the COVID pandemic. Further we cover the failure of the European union to fund 50 billion Euros to Ukrain...

Bailey Desper is our interview who talks about her experience organizing with unhoused people in Billings. Linda Gillison joins Soundman Jim and Mark in learning about Imperialism, the Word of the Week. We take a look at the state of free speech in the US, including over the war in Gaza. We also discuss the prospects of the war in Ukraine in the face of refusals to fund Ukraine. We will also cover...

Our interview is with Prof. Richard Drake of UM on the US empire and forever wars. Sue Kirchmyer, soundman Jim and Mark talk about the United Auto workers call for preparation of a general strike, our Word of the Week.  And we look at the current state of the US labor movement. We also read from an account at Colombia University and what social work students there face when they demand opposition...

The Word of the Week is "Tentative Agreement" which is what new Friend of the Show Alan Noonan, sound Soundman Jim and Mark discuss as a result of the historic and possibly transformative strike by the United Auto Workers. Our interview is with Kelcie Murphy, who brings her knowledge and experience to look at what is happening in Gaza today. We also look at the rising repression in the U...

Soundman Jim is back along with Linda Gillison, Mark and new friend of the show Tully Sanem who explore the Word of the Week: “dehumanization.” And how dehumanization concerns both the approach to the unhoused by the Missoula City government and the approach by the Israeli government and the Palestinian resistance faction Hamas. We also hear excerpts from the Palestinian rights rally in Missoula o...

Mark interviews Travis and Erin, unhoused Missoula neighbors who have just been evicted out of their outdoor houses, with a written response by Ginny Merriam, the City of Missoula’s communication director. And we hear from Missoula City Councillor Kristen Jordan on these cruel sweeps and her proposal to stabilize the situation. We also continue to look at the current United Auto Workers strike and...

This episode we feature an interview with Clayton, an unhoused organizer with the Unhoused Neighbors Union in Missoula at the time of a victory of stopping a sweep of the unhoused. Sue Kirchmyer, Sandy Burch and Mark take a deep dive into strikes, and particularly the current UAW strike. We also discuss how poverty is a crime.

Sue Kirchmyer and Mark look at the surprising origins of the US Labor Day. We also look at the recent settlement of the Teamsters workers with UPS. We look at the many strikes going on in Los Angeles, a deep dig into the success of the Oakland school teachers strike, and the bargaining for the common good in all these examples. We glance at another Starbucks being organized in Missoula and explore...

This episode interviews 9 members of the Democratic Socialists of America on their experiences at the DSA National Convention in Chicago and their organizing vision for the future.

Mark plays a webinar of a presentation by labor leaders and others involved with the Rojava Revolution in Northeastern Syria, where in this war-torn region a libertarian socialist political and economic order has flourished over the past decade.

Linda and Mark explore what is collective bargaining and why it important for all of us. James Schumacher, our featured interviewee, talks about his job as a UPS Teamster driver, what's been going on with the union, bargaining with UPS and the likelihood of a strike on August 1st. We also look at the state of rail workers, the new strike by SAG-AFTRA, labor history from Matewan, W. Virginia, a...

Linda Gillison, Soundman Jim and Mark enjoy summer weather in Montana. Sarah McClain reads her opinion piece on the passing of Daniel Ellsberg. Linda, Jim and Mark talk about current events with Montana unhoused people, Seymour Hersh's article on the failed coup in Russia, and multiple union news items including the victory of workers at a Missoula Starbucks and the UPS Teamsters.

Linda Gillison, Soundman Jim and Mark explore the topic of worker-led organizing. The show features an interview of Kate Alexander, a worker co-leading a union organizing effort at the Brooks St. Missoula Starbucks.

City Councillor Daniel Carlino, soundman Jim and Mark discuss the City of Missoula's eviction of unhoused people from the Russell Street Bridge camp. And we listen to interviews of two camp residents Serena and Clayton, and supporter Jeffrey on the evictions. What could be done instead is discussed.

Lapsed journalist Jim Liska joins soundman Jim and Mark in exploring the world of citizen journalism. Featured is an interview of Pich Chamrong, a Cambodian citizen journalist. Also featured is an editorial by Robbie Liben on why Missoula should drop mandatory parking spaces as a condition of development.  

The word of the Week is May Day and is explained by Sarah McClain. The interview is with Missoula State Representative Zooey Zephyr. Sue Kirchmyer, Soundman Jim and Mark look at May Day protests around the world. After a short report about a principal cause of inflation, the show discusses the current TV and film writers strike, the successful strike in the Los Angeles school district, the status...