Labor Heritage Power Hour

On this week's Labor Heritage Power Hour: “Stand with your back to the river and look through the ring of labor at the square symbols of capitalism that labor built.” The Michigan Labor History Society’s John Dick and Dave Elsila take us on a tour of Detroit’s Transcending labor monument and reveal the union story behind the Motown sound. Then, historian Kelly Goodman traces teachers’ struggles in Detroit and Chicago for well-funded, humane public education. Plus, Hali Hammer shares her favorite labor song.  Broadcast on September 3, 2026; hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant; produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman.The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport.@LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

On this week’s Labor Heritage Power Hour: We go inside the Ohio factory where Scabby the Rat—and his friends the Greedy Pig, Fat Cat and Mother Jones—come to life. Dave Sherba of Inflatable Images tells us how Scabby was created 34 years ago and takes us through the process of transforming a three-dimensional design into printed, cut and carefully sewn vinyl. Along the way, we meet the workers whose creativity and skill have produced thousands of the labor movement’s most recognizable inflatable icons.
Then, Carmen Rodriguez of El Cafecito del Día talks with historian Eladio Bobadilla about his new book, Dangerous Migration: Mexican Labor and the Fight for Immigrant Rights. Bobadilla traces the long history of portraying immigrants as threats, examines the labor movement’s complicated—and sometimes deeply troubling—relationship with undocumented workers and explains why “solidarity is not negotiable.”
We also pay tribute to Dolly Parton, the country and pop legend whose songs never forgot the struggles, humor and dignity of working people, with “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “Daddy’s Working Boots,” “In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)” and “Working Girl.”
Plus, Harold Phillips has the latest labor arts news and events.
Broadcast on August 27, 2026; hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant; produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman. The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport.@LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

This week on the Labor Heritage Power Hour: We celebrate the 117th anniversary of the IWW’s Little Red Songbook, first published on August 19, 1909, to “fan the flames of discontent.” Listeners share favorite songs from the legendary collection—including “We Have Fed You All for a Thousand Years,” “Mr. Block,” “The Red Flag,” “The Preacher and the Slave” and “Dump the Bosses Off Your Back.”
Later, labor historian Nick Juravich talks with veteran union organizer Phil Cohen about his new memoir, Maximum Leverage: From the Street to the Picket Line. Cohen recounts his journey from the streets of New York to organizing textile and warehouse workers across the South—and shares hard-earned lessons about power, strategy and fighting to win.
Plus the latest labor arts news briefs.  
Broadcast on August 20; hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant; produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman. The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport.@LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

On this week’s Labor Heritage Power Hour: DC’s Theatre Alliance brings Woody Guthrie’s songs into today’s struggles, and Richard Trumka explains how labor artists preserve workers’ stories, strengthen solidarity and build the movement.Released on August 13; hosted & produced by Chris Garlock.The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport.@LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

Dave Zirin joins the Labor Heritage Power Hour to discuss The People's Historian, his new biography of Howard Zinn, and Zinn's surprising ties to Hollywood, theater, and radical history. Plus, a conversation about art, hope, and why culture still matters in hard times.Broadcast on August 6, 2026; hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant; produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman. The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport.@EdgeofSports @LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

This week on the Labor Heritage Power Hour: We hear from songwriter Mindy Murray about her powerful song “Striking at Kings,” inspired by the 1938 King Farm strike, plus latest labor arts news and a Labor History in 2:00 look at the 1903 Oxnard Strike. Young adult author J. Albert Mann interviews labor journalist Kim Kelly about Fight to Win and teaching labor history to young people, and we close with a fearless, funny, and furious moment from Carsie Blanton, calling for solidarity and dignity for working musicians.Broadcast on July 30, 2026 (original broadcast date 2/12/2026); hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant; produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman. The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport.@LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

This week, the Labor Heritage Power Hour presents a special edition adapted from the Labor Radio Podcast Weekly, featuring extended excerpts from two outstanding shows from the Labor Radio Podcast Network. Chris Garlock and Harold Phillips join The Solidarity Report to discuss labor storytelling, arts and culture, and building the Labor Radio Podcast Network, while Continent of Resistance explores how movements create cultures of solidarity through democratic organizing, relationships, and collective care. Plus, latest Labor Arts News Briefs and Labor History in 2:00.Broadcast on July 23, 2026, hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant; produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman.
The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport.@LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

This week on the Labor Heritage Power Hour: Simon Sapper explores the working-class roots of soccer, Gabe Logan tells the story of Detroit's factory and workers' soccer teams, Augustus Wood examines the dismantling of Black labor power in Atlanta, plus latest labor news briefs and Labor History in 2:00 remembers the 1381 execution of Peasants' Revolt leader John Ball.Broadcast on July 16, 2026; hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant; produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman. The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport.@LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

On this week's Labor Heritage Power Hour: Join us for highlights from the 2026 Great Labor Arts Exchange Concert, recorded live at the Labor Notes Conference in Chicago. Hosted by Sig Meilus and MacGyver Williams, the concert features performances by The Labor Notes, George Mann, Joe Jencks, the Pittsburgh Labor Choir, the DC Labor Chorus, and other outstanding labor artists, culminating—as every great labor concert should—with everyone joining together for "Solidarity Forever."Broadcast on July 9, 2026; hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant; produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman. The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport.@LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

On this week’s Labor Heritage Power Hour: As America celebrates Independence Day, we ask whose stories of freedom get told. This week: the People's 250 campaign reclaims working-class history, historian Carrie Rael revisits the largest strike in Disneyland history, Kathleen Newman joins us to unpack Boots Riley's wildly original new film I Love Boosters, Patrick Dixon explores a historic Philadelphia labor landmark, and Labor History in 2:00 traces the origins of New Orleans' iconic po'boy sandwich—all framed by the enduring words of Frederick Douglass.Broadcast on July 2, 2026; hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant; produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman. The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport.@LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod