Labor Heritage Power Hour

2022, The Year of the Strike

Broadcast on March 30, 2022
Hosted by Chris Garlock & Ed Smith
If it seemed like there were more strikes last year, that’s because there were; Johnnie Kallas has the data to prove it with the Cornell ILR Labor Action Tracker's second annual report. We find out who struck, where, and why.
Produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman.  
@wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod @JohnnieKallas @CornellILR @ILRLaborAction

“American Hospitals: Healing A Broken System”

Broadcast on March 23, 2023Hosted by Chris Garlock & Ed Smith
As Americans pay astronomical health care costs, the new film “American Hospitals: Healing A Broken System” takes a provocative look at hospitals accruing wealth and evading scrutiny. We talk with director, co-producer and co-writer Vincent Mondillo. The film is set to premiere at E Street Cinema in Washington, DC on March 29th, 2023 (CLICK HERE for your free ticket!) and will subsequently open nationwide in over twenty cities, via the theatrical distributor 8 Above, including New York City, Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles, followed by community screenings starting May 1. View the trailer here.
Produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Michael Nassella and Kahlia Chapman.  
@wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

Why did GWU Hospital fire Angelo Estrellas?

Broadcast on March 23, 2023
Hosted by Chris Garlock & Ed Smith
Award-winning RN Angelo Estrellas, fired Wednesday for purportedly supporting DCNA’s union organizing campaign at George Washington University Hospital, speaks out on why the nurses want a union. Demand his reinstatement here.
Why is Virginia trying to erase labor history from its schools? The Virginia Education Association’s Shane Riddle and Brian Peyton from Teamsters 322 explain.
Produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Michael Nassella and Kahlia Chapman.
@wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod @NursesHealDC @NationalNurses @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod @NursesHealDC @NationalNurses @riddle_shane of @VEA4Kids @IBTLocal322 @Virginia_AFLCIO @VirginiaUnified @Teamsters

Seniors demand ”Stop Dirty Banks!”

Broadcast on March 16, 2023
Hosted by Chris Garlock
Tuesday, March 21, a group of older Americans, along with their intergenerational friends and supporters, will hold a day-long action here in Washington DC to demand that the country's biggest banks stop funding fossil fuels. They’re planning a Multi-Faith Prayer Circle, a Walk of Hope, a Rally, and a March of Action. In addition, small groups of elders in rocking chairs will take up a 24-hour vigil outside downtown offices of the four dirtiest banks. Some of these elders will block the entrances, risking arrest.
We talk with Jos Williams, former president of the metro Washington Labor Council AFL-CIO and David Mott, retired SEIU Organizing Coordinator, about the Banking on our Future Day of Action.
Produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Michael Nassella and Kahlia Chapman.
@wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod @ThirdActOrg #StopDirtyBanks

Saket Soni’s Great Escape

Broadcast on March 16, 2023Hosted by Chris Garlock
SAKET SONI’s astonishing story of immigrants lured to the United States from India and trapped in forced labor--told by the visionary labor leader who engineered their escape and set them on a path to citizenship. His new book is THE GREAT ESCAPE: A True Story of Forced Labor and Immigrant Dreams in America.
Produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Michael Nassella and Kahlia Chapman.  
@wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod @ResilienceForce @saket_soni @haymarketbooks

Remembering Myrtle Witbooi

Broadcast on March 9, 2023
Hosted by Chris Garlock
Myrtle Witbooi started as a young domestic worker in apartheid South Africa, became General Secretary of the South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union and was the first president of the International Domestic Workers Federation. From the Labor History Today podcast, in honor of International Women’s Day, Myrtle Witbooi – who died earlier this year – in her own voice, honored by the late Richard Trumka, and remembered by the Solidarity Center’s Alexis De Simone.
Produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Michael Nassella and Kahlia Chapman.
@wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

Hands Off DC!

Broadcast on March 9, 2023
Hosted by Chris Garlock
“We pay taxes. We fight in your wars. We do everything we are supposed to do as residents and citizens of this country, and we deserve our autonomy and we deserve our statehood. Hands off DC!”The message was loud and clear at Wednesday’s spirited rally protesting this week’s move by Congress to block the implementation of new criminal justice reforms in DC. We’ve got an audio postcard from the rally.
Produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Michael Nassella and Kahlia Chapman.
@wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod #51stState #DCRiseUp #DouglasCommonwealth #HandsOffDC @DCVote @HarrietsDreams

“Labor Spring” sweeps nation

Broadcast on March 2, 2023
Hosted by Chris Garlock & Ed Smith
In one of the largest series of labor-focused teach-ins in recent memory, academics have joined with workers, Gen Z activists, unions and others to launch “Labor Spring.” These events, held on college campuses and in communities nationwide from late February through early May, are clear outgrowths of the current moment’s surge in union organizing and pro-worker sentiment. We talk with Dr. James Benton, director of the Race and Economic Empowerment Project at the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor at Georgetown University, which launched the effort. Click here for a full list of planned events.
Produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Michael Nassella and Kahlia Chapman.
@wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

This week’s labor news headlines

Broadcast on March 2, 2023
Hosted by Chris Garlock & Ed Smith
Starbucks Violated Labor Law in Buffalo Union Drive, Judge RulesCaterpillar and UAW reach a tentative contract agreement, averting strikeUnion leaders hail Su nomination as new Labor SecretaryBrandon Johnson Is Heading to Chicago’s Mayoral Runoff as a Champion of the Working ClassHigh-Profile Art Couple Offers Worst Job Ever
Produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Michael Nassella and Kahlia Chapman.
@wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

The Buffalo Soldier who became a Filipino revolutionary

Broadcast on February 23, 2023
Hosted by Chris Garlock & Ed Smith
Jon Melrod on the life and legacy of David Fagen, a Buffalo Soldier who became a Filipino revolutionary. A former auto worker, Melrod’s the author of Fighting Times: Organizing on the Front Lines of the Class War.
Produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Michael Nassella and Kahlia Chapman.
@wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod @JonathanMelrod