America’s Work Force Union Podcast

Melissa Cropper (Ohio Federation of Teachers) / Mark Adams (SMART Local 110)

Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) President Melissa Cropper joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed a resolution under consideration by the Ohio State Board of Education that would encourage Ohio school districts to defy a proposal by the U.S. Department of Education to enhance Title IX protections for gay and transgender kids.

 

Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation (SMART) Local 110 Business Manager/Financial Secretary-Treasurer Benjamin “Mark” Adams appeared on the AWF Union Podcast and discussed how Ford’s $5.8 billion electric battery campus in Kentucky will impact the Local’s membership.  

Steve Langley (SMART Local 85) / Jeff Bailey ( Ironworker Local 402)

Steve Langley, Business Manager and Financial Secretary-Treasurer of Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation (SMART) Local 85 joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed how provisions of the Infrastructure bill will fund the upgrade of HVAC systems for schools and businesses, which will create work for the Local’s members.

 

Ironworkers Local 402 Business Manager Jeff Bailey appeared on the AWF Union Podcast and explained how the safety standards taught in the Local’s apprenticeship programs benefit both union workers and the contractors who employ them. He also spoke about the Local’s future outlook, which will be busy thanks to the Infrastructure bill.

Jeff Stoffer (American Legion) / Rich Fiesta (Alliance for Retired Americans)

Jeff Stoffer, Media and Communications Director for the American Legion, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed efforts to recruit veterans into the trucking industry to help alleviate the nation’s truck driver shortage. He also spoke about veteran suicide prevention and one veteran’s experience with equine therapy. 

 

The Alliance for Retired Americans Executive Director Richard Fiesta appeared on the AWF  Union Podcast and talked about Republican efforts to either privatize or defund Medicare and Social Security, which he believes could motivate more people to vote in the November General Election. He also discussed an upcoming Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) in Social Security benefits.  

Pat Gallagher (North Coast Area Labor Federation) / Victoria Law (The Nation Magazine)

The Nation Magazine contributor Victoria Law joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed her recent article that explores the objections of correction officers’ unions to new restrictions on solitary confinement in New York state prisons.

    

North Coast Area Labor Federation President Pat Gallagher made his regular appearance on the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed a tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement reached between the railway unions and the railroads, which if accepted, will avert a nationwide strike. He also spoke about a tentative CBA between USW members and Cleveland-Cliffs. 

Harvey Whille (UFCW Local 1262) / John Westerhaus (Survey & Ballot Systems)

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1262 President Harvey Whille joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the impact of automation technology in the retail industry and how it affects workers and their families. 

 

Survey & Ballot Systems (SBS) Account Manager John Westerhaus appeared on the AWF Union Podcast and explained how the company’s digital voting technology can be used by union leadership to survey members’ opinions.

Frank Mathews (CWA District 4)

Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 4 Administrative Director Frank Mathews joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed how millions of American families could qualify for free broadband internet under the Affordable Connectivity Program.

He also talked about the CHIPS Act and a CWA campaign against Frontier Communications, who is using outside labor rather than the company’s own employees to build out its fiber optic network.

Jac Weitzel and Emily Pritzkow (Wisconsin Building Trades Council) / Thomas Modica (IBEW 807)

Wisconsin Building Trades Council Executive Director Emily Pritzkow and South Central Wisconsin Building Trades Council Executive Director Jac Weitzel joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed union diversity and what it means for the two women to hold leadership positions within the building trades. They also talked about the work opportunities the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is delivering to Wisconsin and the need to grow apprenticeship programs to meet the demand for workers.   

 

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 807 Local Chairman Thomas Modica appeared on the AWF Union Podcast and spoke about a tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) reached between the Local and the railroads. 

Senator Sherrod Brown / Pete Ielmini (LMCT) / Joyce Goldstein (Labor Lawyer)

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed why the labor movement needs to take advantage of the growing popularity of unions and increase union density. He also celebrated the recent wins of the Biden Administration, including the passage of the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductor (CHIPS) for America Act, the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. 

 

Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust (LMCT) Executive Director Pete Ielmini appeared on the AWF Union Podcast and talked about the alarming suicide rate for construction workers and the resources available that can help. He addressed the suicide epidemic as part of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Suicide Prevention Safety Stand-Down, which took place this week. 

Joyce Goldstein, a labor and employee benefits lawyer at Joyce Goldstein & Associates, was featured on the AWF Union Podcast and discussed a federal court’s reinstatement of the Memphis Seven, Starbucks workers who were fired following an in-store media interview about the store's organizing efforts earlier this year. She also explained a proposed National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rule on the joint employer standard and a recent NLRB decision that found a Tesla ban on pro-union shirts violated workers’ free speech rights.

Jon Hooker (Central Indiana BCTC) / Desiree Hoffman (United Auto Workers)

Central Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council (CINBCTC) President and Executive Director Jon Hooker joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed how Indiana’s construction boom has impacted the state’s building trades and the need to grow apprenticeship programs to meet the demand for workers.

 

United Auto Workers (UAW) Assistant Legislative Director Desiree Hoffman appeared on the AWF Union Podcast and talked about how the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductor (CHIPS) for America Act could help solve some of the nation’s supply chain problems and revitalize American manufacturing.

Dave Megenhardt (United Labor Agency) / Riston Breiner (IBEW Local 226)

Riston Breiner, Organizer and Membership Development Director for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 226, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the work the Local performed on a $650 million federal biosafety lab and the work they are currently performing on a $4 billion Panasonic battery plant. He also spoke about the IBEW’s Electrical Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program.    

 

United Labor Agency (ULA) Executive Director David Megenhardt appeared on the AWF Union Podcast and hypothesized why Ohio’s job market has not made a full recovery from the pandemic. He also touted the Agency’s Unsung Heroes of the Labor Movement Award.