America’s Work Force Union Podcast

Gary LaBarbera, President, NYSBCTC NYCBCTC | Len DiCosimo, Executive Secretary, North Shore AFL-CIO

Joining America’s Work Force Union Podcast, was Gary LaBarbera, who is the President of the Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC) of Greater New York and the President of the New York State Building and Construction Trades Council. He discussed the PLAs that have been created for renewable energy projects in New York, including the recent Empire Wind project.

Executive-Secretary of the North Shore AFL-CIO, Len DiCosimo, joined America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the efforts to obtain the signatures required to get the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Amendment on the November ballot.

Adam Keller, Co-Host of TVLR and Trustee for North Alabama Area Labor Council | Steven Overby, Business Manager, Insulators Local 69

Adam Keller, Co-Host of The Valley Labor Report and Trustee for the North Alabama Area Labor Council, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss Alabama Senate Bill 231. Keller also discussed the recent outreach efforts he hosted with the Labor Council and a member of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).

Steven Overby, Business Manager for the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 69, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the need to organize more members to meet the upcoming manpower demands. Overby also discussed the Project Labor Agreement for the Micron Plant in Idaho and a trio of upcoming projects demanding more members.

Frank Mathews, Administrative Director, CWA D4 | Dr. Steven Volk, Professor Emeritus of History, Oberlin College

Frank Mathews, Administrative Director for District 4 of the Communication Workers of America joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss a letter from the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-CWA about the importance of regulating AI. Mathews also discussed funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

Dr. Steven Volk, an Oberlin College Professor Emeritus of History, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about his recent op-ed article discussing the vilification of immigrant workers and the misrepresentation of workers who aren’t American-born.

Kim Kelly, Author and Labor Activist | Johnnie Kallas, Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois School of Labor and Employment Relations

A freelance labor journalist and author, Kim Kelly, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about her life as a freelance journalist and how she found herself covering the labor movement. Kelly also discussed her book Fight Like Hell and explained how she shares those stories with a younger generation.

Johnnie Kallas, an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois School of Labor and Employment Relations, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss his recent move from the Cornell University ILR School to Illinois and his continued work on the ILR Labor Action Tracker. Kallas discussed the recently released 2023 edition of the tracker and some of the trends that were seen from the data.

Dorsey Hager, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, C/CO BCTC | Fred Redmond, Secretary-Treasurer, AFL-CIO

Dorsey Hager, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building Construction and Trades Council, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to give updates on the Intel plant project, the ground-breaking for a new water treatment plant and what he expects from Amazon’s purchase of more than 200 acres in Pickaway County, Ohio.

Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, Fred Redmond, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) conference he’s attending in Uruguay. Redmond discussed the lessons shared during the conference and the importance of nations working together to advance the global labor movement.

Peter Manikowski, President, PSRA | Adam Kaat, Author, Life on the Grocery Line

President of the Professional Soccer Referees Association, Peter Manikowski, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the new contract for members after the month-long lockout from the Professional Referee Organization. Manikowski discussed the public support from fans, coaches and the Major League Soccer Players Association. 

Adam Kaat, author of Life on the Grocery Line: A Frontline Experience in a Global Pandemic, joined America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss his book. Kaat discussed the experiences he wrote about and the poor treatment of grocery and retail workers throughout the pandemic.

Mike Knisely, Ohio State BTC | Doreen Cannon, Chair, Tradeswomen Committee at the Cleveland BCTC

Mike Knisely, Executive Secretary of the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the construction boom throughout Ohio over the past five years, the progress on the Intel semiconductor plant projects and the work on the Honda and LG joint EV battery production facility.

Former President of Plumbers Local 55 and current chair of the Tradeswomen Committee with the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council (CBCTC), Doreen Cannon, joined America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the group’s most successful Career Fair to date. She also discussed her work to provide safety standards in the plumbing industry.

Tim Burga, President, Ohio AFL-CIO | Jon Schleuss, President, The NewsGuild | Dave Jamieson, Labor Reporter, HuffPost

Tim Burga, President of the Ohio AFL-CIO, joined the Amercia’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the efforts by Citizens Not Politicians to collect enough signatures to get an issue on the November ballot that would remove politicians from redistricting efforts. Burga also talked about the historically low number of bills passed by the state legislature and how the state labor federation decides which politicians to endorse.

President of The NewsGuild - Communication Workers of America (TNG-CWA), Jon Schleuss, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the recent joint union letter to ensure workers are protected from employers attempting to replace them with artificial intelligence. Schleuss also talked about the main issues with AI in the newsroom and how journalists are being negatively affected by the implementation of AI written articles.

A labor reporter for the HuffPost, Dave Jamieson, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about a few of his recent articles. One article highlighted a complaint raised by organizers against Waffle House, and the other was about a piece of legislation that would remove state subsidies from companies who voluntarily recognize unions through card checks.

Doreen Greenwald, President, NTEU | Pat Gallagher, President, North Coast Area Labor Federation

President of the National Treasury Employees Union, Doreen Greenwald, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about funding of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and potential cuts to the agency. She also discussed adequately funding the government through the IRS and why the government is dealing with a workforce deficit.

Pat Gallagher, President of the North Coast Area Labor Federation, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the relationship between the United Steelworkers and U.S. Steel. Gallagher also questioned the legitimacy of Nippon Steel purchasing U.S. Steel and explained his belief that Chinese steel dumping is threatening the American steel industry.

Merrilee Logue, Executive Director, BCBS NLO | Andrew Snell, Organizing Committee Member, AQAU-CWA

To round out our coverage of Women’s History Month, Merrilee Logue, Executive Director for the Blue Cross Blue Shield’s (BCBS) National Labor Office (NLO), joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss women’s inequality and health equity.

Andrew Snell, Organizing Committee Member for the newly formed Activision Quality Assurance United-Communication Workers of America (AQAU-CWA) — a part of the Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) —  joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss how Quality Assurance Workers at Activision became the largest group of union-represented workers in any U.S. game studio. Snell, a QA tester, also discussed some workplace issues and what this organizing victory could mean for unions and the tech industry.