Heartland Labor Forum

It's KKFI's Summer Fund Drive! PLEASE DONATE DURING THE SHOW OR ANYTIME. YOU CAN CALL 888-931-0901 OR GO TO KKFI.ORG. Thursday, on the Heartland Labor Forum: This year's Missouri legislative session, perhaps more aptly known as the Legislative Session of Misery ended on May 15.  Rep, Emily Weber will give us the scoop on what passed and how you'll be affected.   Then, we'll check in with Representative Adrian Plank about the impact of the new labor legislator caucus and ask him What needs to be done next year to strengthen the working-class voice in Jefferson City. 

We discuss the proposed Kansas City Royals stadium to be built at Crown Center in partnership with Hallmark. The plan seems to be creating more questions than answers, and as part of our recurring coverage of the stadium, we'll look at the economics of public subsidies for sports venues, as well as whether the city's sales tax revenue projections on the stadium are a home run or a swing-and-a-miss. Our feature is Safety First with Mary Erio.

Planning a summer road trip? How about visiting the places where ordinary people made extraordinary change? We'll talk to Chris Garlock of the Labor Heritage Foundation about their new Labor Landmark Map! Then we'll visit a nearby landmark – Quindaro, the town founded by Wyandot Indians, abolitionists and free blacks as a free port on the Missouri River. We'll talk to a descendant of Robert Monroe who escaped to freedom across the winter ice.  Our feature is Washington Window with Mark Gruenberg.

Who doesn't love a library? Unfortunately, library workers at Mid-Continent Libraries don't feel much love from their bosses, and they've organized a union. We'll have them and results of their vote on it on tonight's show. Then, one might think that being head of the Texas AFL-CIO would be a thankless job in such an anti-union state, but Rick Levy made the state's labor movement broader, bolder, and more inclusive. We'll find out how. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.

Ever heard of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers based in Detroit in the 1970s? There's a new book called Motown and the Making of Working-Class Revolutionaries. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, we'll talk to the authors. Then, the Missouri legislature will short-change schools next year making grants from the Kansas City Public School Foundation more necessary than ever. Find out about their vital role. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month with Mark Galus.

Pharmacists at the University of Kansas Medical Center in KCK have petitioned for a union election. It's next week. They wonder why there's so little room for advancement in their jobs and why the rules leave them without justice on the job. Our feature is Safety First with Mary Erio.

What impact are ICE raids having on immigrant workers and communities in rural Missouri? This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, we'll talk to University of Michigan Prof. William D. Lopez about his book "Raiding the Heartland.” Then the new Labor Caucus of Missouri legislators is fighting for legislation to support workers and unions. We'll talk to Rep Adrian Plank. Our feature is Voices from Labor History.

There's been a lot of news lately about the Port Authority and how the Kansas City building trades unions finally got them to agree to require developers that it subsidizes to pay workers decently, but there's little talk about the cost of economic growth to our schools and libraries who sacrifice tax income to fund development. We'll talk to teachers about it and ask, should the Plaza be saved at the expense of our kids' futures? Then, the Missouri legislature is trying to kill the state income tax. We'll find out from the Missouri Budget Project's Amy Blouin how much that will cost the working class. Our feature is Washington Window with Mark Gruenberg.

A member of the new KC Bus Riders Union says, “We want to show that the buses can serve everyone, not just people who rely on them as a lifeline to get to work.” This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we'll find out more. Then The International Association of Theatrical and Stage Employees Local 31 members do the set up and take down, scenery, and support work for trade shows, plays and concerts. We'll find out how they're staffing up for the World Cup. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.

Sick of junk fees, phone scams and wasted time with customer service?  We'll talk with Chad Maisel of the Groundwork Collaborative about the so-called Annoyance Economy that costs us hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Then, two restaurant workers share how they're organizing for change with the Missouri Workers Center—from fast food to full service. Hear their stories and what's next for worker power in Missouri. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month.

It's baseball season, and it's the 50th anniversary of free agency. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, we'll look at one of the most successful unions in American labor history – the Major League Baseball Players Association. We'll talk with Michael Haupert, economics professor and expert on the business of baseball, about the union and the union's biggest win – free agency for players. Our feature is Safety First with Mary Erio.

The KC Indivisible Social Justice Chorus will raise their voices in song in a preview of their appearance at the Mill Creek NO Kings rally next Saturday. Then, six of every ten food workers in Great Britain make wages that are insufficient to meet their basic needs for food and energy. Now British unions are exposing the causes of declining wages and making hunger a union issue in their campaign: Uniting Against Hunger. Our feature is Washington Window with Mark Gruenberg.

This year's legislative session may leave working people in a state of Misery, their rights assaulted, with fewer public services and less funding for public schools, and their pockets fleeced as the legislature substitutes high sales taxes for the state income tax.   This week on the Heartland Labor we'll get the latest on what the legislature is doing from Missouri House Representatives Mark Sharp and Kemp Strickler and from Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.

The Kansas legislature has a month to go and there's good news and bad for working families. We'll find out more this week on the Heartland Labor Forum from Jake Lowen, the new Executive Secretary of the Kansas AFL-CIO. Then many Kansas Citians rely on city buses for work. shopping, and doctor visits, while city bus drivers face threatened layoffs and assaults on the job. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month.

On March 10, the Leavenworth City Commission is about to give permission for the Core Civic private prison there to reopen as an ICE jail, giving the government over 1000 beds to fill. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we'll talk about Core Civic's shameful record of both prisoner and guard abuse when the prison operated before 2022. We'll talk to former guards and a former detainee or two and with Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation. Our features is Safety First with Mary Erio.  It's still PLEDGE DRIVE and we sure could use your support please call or text “winter 26” to 50155 or go to kkfi.org  and DONATE.

PLEDGE DRIVE! – PLEDGE DRIVE! – PLEDGE DRIVE! Organizer and historian Dave Kamper gives an overview of the recent labor upsurge in his new book Whose Got the Power?  Then Missouri legislators are shaping the future of education and thus our communities. If we're not informed, we won't be able to protect and strengthen our public schools. We'll talk with local advocacy group Parents for KC Kids about Missouri's schools and get an update on recent legislation. 

We're going to introduce our listeners to a couple of shows from the Labor Radio Podcast Network. The Green and Red podcast did a show about the Greensboro Sit-Ins sixty-four years ago and the power of direct action linking lessons to the resistance to ICE in Minneapolis. Then, we'll here a few minutes from the podcast The Power at Work asking three labor observers about recent news. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.

Whether AI will be a glorious revolution for humanity or a dystopian nightmare remains to be seen, but one thing is certain:  Big Tech is all in.  We'll ask the American Prospect's David Dayen if we're in an AI bubble that could wreck the economy.  Then, since 1976, El Centro has helped the Latino community thrive. We'll talk with social worker Maryely Cadena-Zarate about how her work is changed under Trump as families fear being disappeared by ICE. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month.

Dockworkers have long been on the progressive forefront supporting racial equality and fighting fascism. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we'll talk with Professor Peter Cole about the history of longshore workers and how they're dealing with creeping fascism in today's America. Then, Congress has disappeared the Affordable Care Act tax credits. We'll ask economist John Miller about the millions of Americans losing their health coverage and what's the impact on the rest of us?  Our feature is Safety First with Mary Erio.

Last fall workers at two Half Priced Books stores organized a union. Now workers at the Westport store have won a first contract. We'll celebrate with them this week on the Heartland Labor Forum . Then, one of the longest strikes in recent history ended with a judge's order and a big win for the union. Then management fired everyone and shutdown operations. Yes it's the Pittsburg Post Gazette, and we'll talk to the President of the News Guild CWA's John Schleuss. Thursday at 6pm, rebroadcast Friday at 5am. Our feature is Voices from Labor History with Christina Dismang.

Do you know the union members Bill of Rights? If you are a union member these affect you just in case your union fails to be democratic. Tonight we'll talk to Josh Soffler from the Association for Union Democracy. Then, is burying a nuclear reactor almost half a mile underground a good idea? This Trumpian project designated for Parsons, Kansas says it will bury its own waste just as deep. We'll ask nuclear expert Ann Suellentrop about it. Our feature is Washington Window with Mark Gruenberg.

UE, The United Electrical Workers, was the first US union to denounce Trump's attacks on Venezuela. Other unions have now joined them demanding “no more blood for oil.” This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we talk to UE President Scott Slawson about why and how union leaders talk to members about controversial political issues. Then, we'll interview author Joe Embersberger about how the media has failed to report the real and complex story of how the US has undermined Venezuelan democracy for years. Thursday at 6pm, rebroadcast Friday at 5am. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.

A year ago on the Heartland Labor Forum we predicted what was in store for working people in 2025. This week we'll look in our 2026 crystal ball and ask How will workers and unions do this year? Will organizing surge despite a paralyzed NLRB? Will Missourians reject gerrymandered maps? Will unions join the No Kings coalition? Will the Chiefs get a deal in Kansas?

It's our Best of 2025 part 2 show. We'll hear interesting interviews, features, and songs from the last year, including the labor system that built the Panama Canal, how an independent labor union is succeeding in the current anti-labor environment, and a catchy tune about Jimmy Hoffa.

It's our Best of 2025 part 1 show. We'll rediscover a long-lost labor leader, hear from the most successful NLRB general counsel in years, and listen to a famous labor song written by a lawyer plus much more. Catch up on what's happened to the working class this year.

What do you get when you cross two of the most popular concepts in modern-era: mindfulness and resistance? You guessed it: a teach-in by Hollywood film actor and  Zen Buddhist priest Peter Coyote. He'll be radicalizing us this week on the Heartland Labor Forum and telling us about the Theatre of Protest. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.

Mental health problems are on the rise, and finding help can be tough. To make matters worse, people often don't want to talk about it. So, this week on The Heartland Labor Forum we're going to talk about it and ask what our local unions do to support union leaders', members' and their families' mental health. We'll talk with two unions – the Plumbers Local 8 and Firefighters Local 42 that both have model programs. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month with Mark Galus.

Authoritarians fear teachers. Why? Because propaganda and fear lose their grip when students become critical thinkers. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten will talk about her book "Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy.”  Then, one of the most common and underreported crimes in the US is wage theft. It costs workers some $50 billion a year. We'll get some true crime stories from attorney Ray Salva. Our feature is Safety First with Mary Erio.

As we did last Thanksgiving, this week we are giving thanks for labor songs and working music on the Heartland Labor Forum. Work songs would alleviate boredom and synchronize the work, while also providing important social commentary about working conditions and progressive ideals. We'll hear tracks from old favorites Pete Seeger and Anne Feeney, as well as some unexpected working music from Devo and Eddie Rabbit.

Pharmacy techs at KU Medical Center want a union. The Med Center has hired a union busting law firm. It's not the first time. We'll ask workers why they're organizing. Then, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, or IUPAT, is one of the most progressive in the country. That goes for the KC Painters as well. We'll talk to Painters District 3 leader Joey Flickner as part of our union leader series. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.  

“While there is a lower class, I am in it. While there is a criminal element, I am of it. While there is a soul in prison, I am not free.” That's the credo of the visionary labor leader Eugene Victor Debs. Last month Senator Bernie Sanders was awarded the 2025 Eugene V. Debs Award. AOC introduced him, and this week on the Heartland Labor Forum we'll learn about Debs from both and why he still inspires workers today. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month.

Over a year and a half ago, faculty and academic staff at the University of Kansas overwhelmingly voted in favor of unionization as the United Academics of KU. So why don't they have a union contract by now? We'll find out this week on the Heartland Labor Forum. Then, with the inherent adversarial relationship between labor and management, can the two sides ever really cooperate? We'll ask Bob Jacobi, Executive Director of the Labor-Management Council of Greater Kansas City to make the case for it. Our feature is Safety First with Mary Erio.

It's all about shutdown and resistance. First, Jessica LaPointe is President of the American Federation of Government Employees Social Security Council. We'll ask her and a local worker about the present and future of Social Security. Then, we'll ask federal union leaders from HUD, the IRS the Army Corps of Engineers and Social Security how members are surviving with no pay and why they want more unions to show up and protest. Thursday at 6pm, rebroadcast Friday at 5am. Our feature is Voices from Labor History. 

Should your tax dollars that go to build publicly funded construction projects be used to pay for work done by companies that rip off their workers, don't provide health insurance or pay for workers compensation insurance to cover on-the-job injuries or not pay employment taxes? We'll talk to two leaders of unions in the building trades about what fair contracting should be and why they support passage of responsible bidder ordinances.  

Since 1935, the rules for union organizing and bargaining for most private sector companies have been set by the National Labor Relations Act. Since 1935 corporate America has repeatedly undermined and weakened labor law so that now both Trump and the Supreme Court are poised to kill or paralyze it. We'll have a roundtable discussion on where we are with labor law and where we can go if unions and workers find ourselves without enforceable rights to organize and bargain. Guests are Peter Olney, former organizing director of the West Coast Longshore Union, Lynn Reinhart, former chief counsel for the AFL-CIO now with the Economic Policy Institute, and Bill Fletcher Jr., author, labor educator and former assistant to the President of the AFL-CIO to weigh in Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.

Ever wonder why official economic reports don't match your experience?  We'll talk to economist Heather Long about how the rich are doing so well that it skews the overall economic data. Then, a century ago Arturo Giovannitti was nearly executed for speaking since union organizers were not permitted free speech rights. We'll talk to Marcella Bencivenni about this working-class hero who helped win us all our rights. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month with Mark Galus.  

Walter Reuther died in a plane crash in May 1970. The government ruled it an accident, but was it? Or was it something more nefarious? We'll talk with Rob McKenzie about his provocative new book The Assassination of Walter Reuther: Why They Did It, How We Know. Then, as Trump plays fast and loose with tariffs, we'll ask what a pro-worker trade policy looks like? Our feature is Safety First with Mary Erio.

Pittsburgh Post Gazette workers have been on strike for more than a thousand days. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we'll ask Jon Schleuss Vice President of their union, the News Guild, why it's lasted so long and how the workers are still staying strong. Then, Representative Keri Ingle is back from the battle over gerrymandering and initiative petitions in Jeff City. We'll get an insider's story of how it went down. Our feature is Washington Window and we'll hear about the new bill to limit CEO pay.

Is Fascism creeping toward the USA or is it already here? We'll hear about two books to help you decide. First fascism expert Jason Stanley on his book Erasing History; How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future. Then A Young Person's Guide to Fascism by illustrator Sue Coe and writer Stephen Eisenman which explores the threads of fascism in U.S. history and shows their baleful influence on today's foreign policy. Thursday at 6pm, rebroadcast Friday at 5am. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.

Albert Einstein once said he'd rather have been a plumber. Here in KC Plumbers Local 8 has a new leader - Matt Harris. He'll be on the Heartland Labor Forum this week. Then, Donna Birks rose through the ranks to become financial secretary of UAW Local 31 at the GM Fairfax plant, then led the Tri-County Labor Council and now in retirement is heading Labor's Educational and Political Club Independent. We'll talk to both Matt and Donna. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month with Mark Galus.

This week the Missouri legislature will once again meet to undermine the will of the voters. On the Heartland Labor Forum we'll talk to Benjamin Singer of Respect Missouri Voters […] The post Respect Missouri Voters Wants to Ban Politicians from Overruling the Will of the Voters and Boeing St. Louis on Strike appeared first on KKFI.

This week the Missouri legislature will once again meet to undermine the will of the voters. On the Heartland Labor Forum we'll talk to Benjamin Singer of Respect Missouri Voters […] The post Respect Missouri Voters Wants to Ban Politicians from Overruling the Will of the Voters and Boeing St. Louis on Strike appeared first on KKFI.