Working People

Far from all the political bluster about police being "defunded," six years after the earth-shaking George Floyd protests swept the US and public approval for law enforcement plummeted, police have never been more politically and monetarily supported than they are now. But when veteran labor reporters and union activists Hamilton Nolan and Jacob Morrison attended the 23rd Quadrennial Convention of the International Union of Police Associations in Las Vegas, Nevada, they found a different kind of union, and a different kind of convention, than they were expecting… In this special episode of Working People, we speak with Nolan and Morrison about their August reporting trip to the IUPA Convention in Las Vegas. Additional links/info: Hamilton Nolan Substack (How Things Work) and Bluesky page Jacob Morrison's Twitter/X page The Valley Labor Report website, YouTube channel, Facebook page, Bluesky page, and Twitter/X page Hamilton Nolan & Jacob Morrison, The Real News Network, "Beards and loathing: A cop union convention comes to Las Vegas" Hamilton Nolan, How Things Work, "We infiltrated a police union convention in Las Vegas" Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

President Trump has renewed his efforts to "Build the Wall" in areas along the US-Mexico Border that don't currently have border barriers—including the Big Bend region of West Texas. Invading people's private properties and upending their local economies and shared ecosystem with a border wall residents say they don't want or need, the Trump administration continues to dole out billions of taxpayer dollars to flood Texas border towns like Terlingua, Sanderson, and Marfa with troops and federal agents—and to pay construction contractors with ties to the Trump family. In this episode of Working People, we speak with a panel of residents living near Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park who have banded together with their neighbors to fight back against the federally funded destruction of their homes. Panelists include: Yolanda Alvarado, a fifth-generation cattle rancher and the regional director for Conserve Big Bend: No Big Bend Wall; Crystal Allbright, a longtime resident and bicycle shop owner in Terlingua; Sara Ryza, a longtime resident, small-business owner, and proprietor of the Desert Air Motel in Sanderson, Texas; Scott Whitener, a longtime resident of Marfa, Texas, and a former superintendent on the Big Bend Ranch State Park; and Sharron Reed Gavin, a retiree and longtime resident of Terlingua. Additional links/info: No Big Bend Wall website, Facebook page, and Instagram Uriel J. Garcia & Alex Ford, The Texas Tribune, "What to know about possible border barriers in Big Bend" The Terlingua Music Bash (Oct. 15-18) website and Facebook page, Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

Because he was bullied in elementary school for being Native American, James Gardner's friends lovingly call him "NDN." His friends and family know NDN to be a fiercely loyal, loving person, and a fiercely hard worker. But as a third-generation concrete specialist, NDN was exposed to chemicals that have left him disabled, terminal, and facing foreclosure on his home. In this episode of Working People, we speak with James "NDN" Gardner and his best friend James Quigg. Additional links/info: GoFundMe: James Gardner: Terminal Liver Failure—Home at Risk Maven Navarro, Forth Worth Star-Telegram, "Terminally ill, this proud man is fighting to keep the Fort Worth home he built" Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

"We are living in a pivotal moment in labor history," Cole Rockarts writes in their new book Fired Up About Unions. "At a time when corporations have more power, profit, and political influence than ever before, workers are leading inspiring union organizing campaigns and taking on bosses to win big… Their struggles reveal that everyday people can unite, change their conditions, and build better workplaces and a better world." In this episode of Working People, we speak with a panel of labor organizers across the USA and Canada about why labor unions are more important now than ever, and how workers organizing collectively can change their workplaces, their lives, and the world. Panelists include: Hassan Husseini of the Public Service Alliance of Canada and Labor for Palestine - Canada; Tina Oh of SEIU Local 2 in Hallifax, Canada; Alex Raymond of Teamsters 322 in Virginia, USA, and Cole Rockarts, veteran labor educator and organizer and author of the new book Fired Up About Unions. Additional links/info: Cole Rockarts, Between the Lines Press, Fired Up About Unions Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

On the morning of August 18, residents living near the Brent Industries facility in Toledo, Ohio, awoke to a series of massive explosions and a towering chemical fire in their backyards. Two Brent Industry workers who were on shift at the time of the explosion were killed. Members of the surrounding community say they are experiencing symptoms of chemical exposure, and that they are not getting the answers they need from Brent Industries or the Environmental Protection Agency. In this episode of Working People, we speak with a panel of Toledo residents about the industrial disaster at Brent Industries and the harrowing aftermath. Panelists include: Toledo Councilwoman Dr Brittany Jones; Mike Balonek, Toledo-based filmmaker and sacrifice zone advocate; Sarah Locker and Kris Ramsdell, who both live right next to the Brent Industries facility where the deadly explosion occurred. Editor's note: According to WTVG Toledo, "The coroner's office identified those who died in the [Brent Industries] fire as Heladio G. Perez, 46, and Mary Allen, 64. An autopsy revealed they both died as a result of blunt force trauma." Additional links/info: Dave Collins & John Seewer, Associated Press, "Explosions and fire tear through Ohio industrial building, killing 2 workers" Kevon DuPree, WTVG Toledo, "Records show history of fires, violations at Brent Industries facility" Lily Lowndes, Alexis Means, & Brianna Weaver, WTVG Toledo, "Two dead after explosions rock Toledo industrial facility" Mike Balonek website, Facebook page, Instagram, and production company website Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor