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This podcast tracks the audio archives for the “Heartland Labor Forum” radio show. The Heartland Labor Forum is Kansas City’s only program about the workplace. It’s radio that talks back to the boss! Whether you’re a union member or your workplace isn’t organized, Heartland Labor Forum (HLF) has stories for you, guaranteed to inspire, educate, or enrage you.
625 Episodes
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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.
There’s a new book out on how organized labor can build its power to take on corporate America and win. It asks how we get the leverage necessary to force […]
The post Labor Power & Strategy: Organizing around the Choke Points appeared first on KKFI.
If our local healthcare workers are essential, why are their bosses trampling on their rights as workers? Find out this week on the Heartland Labor Forum when we talk to […]
The post SEIU Healthcare & Medicaid Expansion In Missouri appeared first on KKFI.
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.
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.
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