Episodes

Aug. 30, 2024

Labor Day events and history | Socialism 2024 outlook | Stellantis reneges on UAW | United Airlines strike authorization | Project 2025 and workers | Chipotle, Starbucks in unionbusting charges

The South Central Federation of Labor president speaks on LaborFest and other upcoming events around Madison, why US Labor Day is at the beginning of September and not May Day, a first-time attendee looks forward to Socialism 2024 in Chicago, UAW pushes back as Stellantis rewrites its agreement on jobs, the Association of Flight Attendants passes a strike authorization vote as United Airlines contract talks drag, US Representative visits the Labor Temple to talk on Trump's Project 2025, and both...
Aug. 23, 2024

Unions visit UW Regents | U of Illinois nurses strike | UAW monitor butts in on Gaza | Cornell U strike | Labor at the Dem convention

University of Wisconsin unions show up at the university system's Board of Regents meeting with actions and demands, striking University of Illinois Hospital nurses speak to Labor Radio at the picket line, the federally-appointed "neutral" monitor tries to make the UAW do his bidding on Gaza policy, unions strike across Cornell University, and we hear voices of organized labor at the Democratic Party convention.
Aug. 16, 2024

Expiris job cuts | Harley job moves | Madison worker for budget raise | Election analysis | AFT sues a student loan company

Expiris in Milwaukee says its job cuts have nothing to do with the union drive, Harley in Milwaukee says its threatened job moves overseas have nothing to do with its union shop, an AFSCME Madison city worker testifies in support of putting a budget referendum on the November ballot, Nick Ramos of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign gives an analysis of the recent election and the labor-supported defeat of the constitutional changes, and we have an extended look at the American Federation of Teache...
Aug. 9, 2024

SCFL endorsements | Nurses and family leave | Rally for Democracy | Health care apprenticeships | NEA staff union fight

The president of the South Central Federation of Labor-AFL-CIO talks endorsements and urges against the constitutional cahnges on Tuesday's ballot, UW Health nurses demand better family leave, a Rally for Democracy in Madison includes calls for working people, a health care apprenticeship program gets funding in South Central Wisconsin, and the staff at the nation's largest union end up in a tough union struggle of their own.
Aug. 2, 2024

Poor Peoples Campaign in Madison | Unions on Palestine | UFT, ALU elections | Disney contract | Game company organizing | Heat rule | Civil rights 1964

The Poor Peoples Campaign has an upcoming march and a meeting in Madison, Madison-area union members in the APWU and UE speak on their unions signing a letter to President Biden demanding an arms cutoff of Israel, new slates win elections at the United Federation of Teachers and at the Amazon Labor Union, Disney workers get a contract soon after a strike authorization vote, drastic industry changes are pushing union organizing at Microsoft-owned video game companies Activision and Blizzard, a re...
July 26, 2024

Worker protection at GOP bash | SCFL organizer talks | Ballot and education | Unions say: No Israel arms $ | A farmer-labor podcast | EPI on unionization, 'flexibility' | SpaceX vs. NLRB

South Central Federation of Labor organizer Issy Bilek talks to Labor Radio, a worker talks about worker security during the Republican convention in Milwaukee, an education advocate talks ballot questions, seven unions representing around 6 million workers call on President Biden to end arm sales to Israel, there's a new farmer-labor podcast, the Economic Policy Institute has reports on unionization and on the myth of 'flexibility', and SpeceX can blow up labor law like it blows up spaceships.
July 19, 2024

Madison budget hits workers | UA flight attendants consider strike | Teamsters prez, Vance pump Trump in Milwaukee | Umpire walkout 25 years on | Labor on Wisconsin ballot amendments

A Madison city worker talks about the budget battle, 28,000 United Airlines flight attendants are moving to a strike authorization vote, Trump is with us, fellow workers! if you believe Teamster President Sean O'Brien and Harvard Law hillbilly/Vice Presidential candidate J. D. Vance from the GOP convention stage in Milwaukee, a former major league umpire recalls the disastrous 1999 mass registration attempt that ended up sinking the union, and the SCFL president talks about the constitutional am...
July 12, 2024

OSHA heat standards | Dropboxes are back | Workers party? | Scary GOP stuff | France goes left | Remembering Jane McAlevey

OSHA introduces new heat standards amid worker deaths, a jusge says ballot drops are back in Wisconsin and the Leauge ofWomen Voters explains the impact, the APWU convention will have a Wisconsin-initated call for a workers' party, the GOP comes to Milwaukee and brings a right-wing platform all laid out, a left coalition makes waves in French elections, and Labor Radio remembers the late Jane McAlevey.
July 5, 2024

Biden in Madison | Judge hits Act 10 | Visa reform | SCOTUS and workers | Slave trade charge for Milwaukee Tool | Amazon strike near Chicago | Tributes to Frank Emspak

President Joe Biden visits Madison and is met by supporters and protesters, a Dane County judge says Act 10 looks unconstitutional, migrant agricultural workers get some visa protections, the 'Chevron rule' and Trump decisions at the US Supreme Court and what it could mean for workers, a lawsuit says Milwaukee Tool uses work gloves made by slaves, and some Teamster hopeful drivers in Skokie have an unfair labor practice strike as for some reason Amazon keeps ending the contracts of "partner" com...
June 29, 2024

Tributes to Frank Emspak | IBEW-Rock Energy gas workers contract | Child labor | August vote | Kaul ruling

Rock Energy gas workers with IBEW 965 have a contract, some states are pushing back on child labor expansion, more on the August referenda vote, and Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul has weighed in on ellection worker hiring. Today's show has tributes from friends and comrades of the late Frank Emspak, co-founder of Labor Radio.
June 21, 2024

Remembering Frank Emspak (1943-2024) | Frank on labor and the media | Wisconsin civil service | Amazon-Teamsters | Virginia schools | New union nurses | Poor Peoples Campaign

In this show, we remember Labor Radio co-founder Frank Emspak, who died June 14 at the age of 80. In a 2023 interview at WORT, Frank tells the story of Workers Independent News, which for a brief time brought union news into mainstream commercial radio. In labor news: It's the annual birthday celebration of the embattled Wisconsin civil service system, Amazon workers ratify a switch to the Teamsters, SEIU Wisconsin has thirteen new member nurses at UnityPoint-Meriter in Madison, public school te...
June 14, 2024

Family values? | Juneteenth | Fair maps voting | EWOCs | Unemployment numbers | SCOTUS Starbux ruling } Waffle House

If you want Family Velues @ Work, shouldn't you welcome your own union? Also: Wisconsin organized labor fights for Juneteenth recognition, the new Fair Maps ruling and the August ballot in Wisconsin, an Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee project of the UE and the DSA comes to the Madison area, the Supreme Court rules for Starbucks and against its union and the NLRB, a look at the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics figures, and worker organizing makes Waffle House raise wages... a litte.
June 7, 2024

Storm repairs | Amendments on ballot | Kids fishing | Amazon union to join Teamsters | Food drive numbers | PLEDGE WEEK EDITION

Utility workers fix things up after a big Madison-area storm, more on state contitutional amendments that will be on the August ballot, voices from the eighth trades-sponosred Take Kids Fishing Day, the Amazon Labor Union votes to affilitate with the Teamsters, and the final numbers are in on the letter carriers' Mothers Day food drive. THIS IS A PLEDGE WEEK EDITION.
May 31, 2024

City budget | End lunch debt? | Act 10 in court | Kids fishing | Teamster merger | UW protests and SCFL response | Nurse fired over Palestine

Madison is telling workers 'No money for you,' progressive organizatiosn team up to wipe out student food debt, labor argues against Act 10 in court, Teamster locals 695 abd 120 join forces, it's Take Kids Fishing weekend, and the South Central Federation of Labor speals out against repression of protest at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
May 24, 2024

Bean Feed | Meriter contract | Immigrant work permits | School budget | U of California strike | Constitutional amendments

The South Central Federation of Labor holds its annual COPE Bean Feed, a worker in SEIU Wisconsin gives details on the UnityPoint-Meriter Hospital support staff contract that was approved this week, Voces de la Frontera calls for increased immigrant work permits, get the union side of the Madison schools teacher pay and staffing crisis, a worker from UAW 4811 at the Unviersity of California talks about the strike action there following pro-Palestinian protest crackdowns, and hear how constitutio...
May 17, 2024

Meriter agreement | No Mercedes union | Faith-Labor | NALC drive results | UCal union strike vote | Kids learn union | August vote | Argentina general strike

Negotiators have a tentative agreement for support staff at UnityPoint Health Meriter in Madison, the UAW comes up short in a union recognition vote at Mercedes-Benz in Alabama, voices from Madison's Faith-Labor Breakfast, the results of the letter carriers' Mothers Day weekend food drive is in, some third graders learn what a union is, 48,000-strong University of California local authorizes a strike vote over the administration's violent response to Palestine protests, prepping for a vote in Au...
May 10, 2024

Picket at Meriter | NALC food drive | UW faculty union and Palestine | State workers | Faith-Labor Breakfast | Nurses' Week | UAW and Mercedes

SEIU Wisconsin pickets for a support staff contract at UnityPoint Meriter Hospital in Madison, the letter carriers union has its annual food drive, the student encampment at UW-Madison goes down but not before getting union support, it's State Employee Appreciation Week and Nurses Week across the country and in Wisconsin, Madison's annual Faith-Labor Breakfast is coming up, and the UAW and the German government take on Mercedes-Benz in the South.
May 3, 2024

May Day | UW Palestine protest | Meriter picket | State workers meet | Another UAW win | Weeks for nurses, teachers

May Day marches in Milwaukee and Madison, labor support for protests for Palestine at the University of Wisconsin, an informational picket by SEIU Wisconsin at UnityPoint Health-Meriter, AFSCME and AFT state workers meet to talk pay and hiring, the UAW gets another win in the South, a blood drive is coming up in Madison for Nurses Week, and Teacher Appreciation Week arrives.
April 26, 2024

UAW wins at Volkswagen | Labor Notes | Workers Memorial Day | Google firings | COSATU on Palestine | UAW 180 on Case layoffs | May Day marches

The US labor movement gets a big win at Volkswagen, we hear reports from the Labor Notes conference in Chicago and listen in on the Workers Memorial Day ceremony in Madison, 'No Tech for Apartheid' Google workers are fired after Israel arms AI protests and South Africa's largest labor federation calls for Palestine solidarity, the president of UAW Local 180 talks about the announced layoffs of the Case New Hollard plant in Racine County, and organizers discuss two May Day marches in the area, on...
April 19, 2024

Teachers rally | Social Security secure? | Apple vs. unions, Palestine | Constitutional amendments | Metcalfes bought out | UW campus threatened | Local announcements

Madison school workers rally and march for inflation pay, staffing levels, unions fight threats to Social Security, a recenlty fired worker at an Apple Store in Chicago talks about the unionization drive and worker solidarity with Palestine there, a look at the right-wing love of constitutional amendments, Sauk County steps in for UW-Baraboo campus, local grocery store Metcalfes is bought out by a Michigan firm, and Workers Memorial Day and a state worker event are coming up.
April 12, 2024

Teachers to rally | Child labor vetoed | Biden in Madison: Policies, protest | UAW at Harvard | IUOE vs. rat contractors | Workers Fair at UW | Pharmacy workers organize

Madison's public shool union will rally for staffing and funding on Monday, Wisconsin Governor Evers vetoes an expansion of child labor in the state, President Bidenis was in Madison to announce student loan forgivemes but faced a protest over Gaza, the UAW will represent non-tenured faculty at Harvard, rats are on the run from the Operating Engineers, union representatives talk jobs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and pharmacy workers organize.
April 5, 2024

PLAs and utilities | UW nurses union move | Election results | Family leave and UW | Bama auto plant files | Worker justice | Events this week

Wisconsin utility companies make an agreement with unions, UW Health nurses begin a new recognition push, labor endorsements come through in the April 2 elections, some union members buck Biden, the University of Wisconsin has a family leave plan, the UAW files at Mercedes in Alabama, the latest from the Worker Justice Center, and Labor Spring and stewarditraining opportunities this week.
March 29, 2024

Election Day and labor | Willy Street contract | State workers unions still here | Child labor finding | Biden campaign visit | WI Supremes on employee status | AI and workers

We look at how labor sees the Tuesday elections with a focus on schools, state worker unions are still fighting despite Act 10, UE 1186 workers at Willy Street Co-op have a new contract, the Wisconsin Supreme Court hits Amazon and its "contractor" policy and a Tennessee company is hit for child labor violations, a key member of Joe Biden's campaign team visits Madison and meets the mayor (scheduled) and a worker opposing Biden Gaza policy (unscheduled), and AI wants your job.
March 22, 2024

Elections, cards in big week at Starbucks stores | ILO on forced labor worldwide | April 2 referenda | Meriter update | UAW in Tennessee | Pay gap | Georgia vs. unions | ERA on March 22, 1972

Madison area Starbucks workers who won elections or filed for one this week speak out, the International Labor Organization reports how forced labor and trafficking grows worldwide, two Republican-led Wisconsin constitutional amendments are on the April 2 ballot, UnityPoint-Meriter support staff contract talks drag on, unions advance in Tennessee and face reporession in Georgia, and the male-female pay gap persists. Plus how 52 years ago an Equal Rights Amendment seemed just around the corner.