Heartland Labor Forum is Kansas City's only program about the workplace. It is produced by and for our working people. We have been agitating on the air since 1989. Find out who is busting unions and who is fighting back. We are a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network #laborradiopod
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Do early child care facilities work for working families? The answer is no — at least not for union and trades families. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we’ll hear about problems and solutions with the Labor Beacon’s Julia Williams and Tina Shonk Little, member of Operating Engineers local 101. Then Kansas City Jobs with Justice has a new organizer, Allie White. She’s full of ideas and energy to build solidarity and action among working people. She’ll be on the show. Our feature is Washington Window with Mark Gruenberg.
A hundred years ago in Kansas City Kansas, the KKK ruled. In fact, for three decades, they held substantial control of city government while fomenting hatred of Blacks, immigrants and Catholics. We’ll interview Tim Rives, author of the book about the KKK in KCK. Then, the United Autoworkers Union is generating controversy over democracy vs. top down unity as they approach the existential negotiations in 2028. We’ll talk to renowned labor historian and UAW expert Nelson Lichtenstein. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.
The climate change deniers haven’t stopped our forests and fields from burning this summer. So, this week on the Heartland Labor Forum we’ll ask Kevin A. Young, author of Abolishing Fossil Fuels how do we build the political will to address climate change? Could the answer lie in the past? Then, a panel of our volunteer producers will discuss how you can become a radio star on our show just like us. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month with Mark Galus.
Did you learn any labor history in school? Probably not much. We’ll find out from Adam Sanchez of Rethinking Schools Magazine why it’s important for working class kids to learn their own history. Then, as investor capital flees the private equity sector over AI fears, the Trump administration wants to allow retirement accounts to include venture capital and hedge fund investments. We'll ask Eileen Appelbaum from the Center for Economic Policy and Research if that is a good idea. Our feature is Safety First with Mary Erio.
In 2022 the Heartland Labor Forum interviewed author Natasha Iskander who investigated the massive worker rights violations at the Doha World Cup and asked if you have to be a skilled worker to be treated as a human. This week we’ll revisit that interview and then ask Stage Hands Union leader Jacob Hobbs if this summer’s World Cup has done any better for his members and other workers. Our feature is Voices from Labor History.
It’s not often that union members become politicians, but Kevin King, former labor leader is now mayor of Independence. We’ll get his story. Then KCUR’s Sam Zeff will run down two consequential constitutional amendments on the August 4th. Amendment 4 would make it almost impossible for citizens to pass a constitutional amendment, and 5 would phase out the state income tax and authorize the legislature to replace the lost funds with an increased sales tax.
The August 4th Kansas ballot has a blockbuster constitutional amendment to change the way the state Supreme Court is selected. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we’ll find out from the Kansas Reflector’s Tim Carpenter what this means for the rights of women to control their bodies and funding for our public schools. Then, Labor Notes has been the voice of union activism since 1979. Their biennial conference was held last month in Chicago, and we'll hear some of the speeches and presentations from the conference that will hopefully inspire you to put the movement back in the labor movement
What is the status of the Green New Deal and the Inflation Reduction Act now that Trump is President? This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we’ll talk jobs, unions and the green transition with the University of Massachusetts Robert Pollin. Then, Daniel Kotzin teaches history at William Jewell College. In April he gave a talk on the racist history of US immigration law as part of the first Constructing Resistance teach-in called First, They Came for the Immigrants. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month
Labor educator and activist Les Leopold has given up on the Democratic Party and written a book called The Billionaires Have Two Parties; We Need a Party of Our Own. He’s calling on unions and the working class to build a labor party starting in the spaces where the Democrats have little to no support, don’t run candidates or lose by double digits. He’ll be on the Heartland Labor Forum this week.
We explore two books. First, New York Times reporter Noam Scheiber’s Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College Educated Working Class who face underemployment, low pay and crippling debt after graduation. Then, Joe Uehlein whose memoir Three Roads takes him from 60’s antiwar protests to the Battle of Seattle, to civil disobedience at the White House against the Keystone pipeline, all the while working for the AFL-CIO and leading a rock band. Our feature is Washington Window with Mark Gruenberg.
The National Labor Relations Board will soon have a Republican majority, meaning that the rollback of Biden-era union protections is imminent. We’ll talk with journalist Robert Iafolla (Eye-uh-foal uh) of Bloomberg Law about what’s next for the NLRB. Then, we’ll talk to DSA’s Elias Garcia about their campaign to get local businesses to sign the Monarch Pledge and say “No” to ICE.
It’s KKFI’s Summer Fund Drive! PLEASE DONATE DURING THE SHOW OR ANYTIME. YOU CAN CALL 888-931-0901 OR GO TO KKFI.ORG. Thursday, on the Heartland Labor Forum: This year’s Missouri legislative session, perhaps more aptly known as the Legislative Session of Misery ended on May 15. Rep, Emily Weber will give us the scoop on what passed and how you’ll be affected. Then, we’ll check in with Representative Adrian Plank about the impact of the new labor legislator caucus and ask him What needs to be done next year to strengthen the working-class voice in Jefferson City.
We discuss the proposed Kansas City Royals stadium to be built at Crown Center in partnership with Hallmark. The plan seems to be creating more questions than answers, and as part of our recurring coverage of the stadium, we’ll look at the economics of public subsidies for sports venues, as well as whether the city’s sales tax revenue projections on the stadium are a home run or a swing-and-a-miss. Our feature is Safety First with Mary Erio.
Planning a summer road trip? How about visiting the places where ordinary people made extraordinary change? We’ll talk to Chris Garlock of the Labor Heritage Foundation about their new Labor Landmark Map! Then we’ll visit a nearby landmark – Quindaro, the town founded by Wyandot Indians, abolitionists and free blacks as a free port on the Missouri River. We’ll talk to a descendant of Robert Monroe who escaped to freedom across the winter ice. Our feature is Washington Window with Mark Gruenberg.
Who doesn’t love a library? Unfortunately, library workers at Mid-Continent Libraries don’t feel much love from their bosses, and they’ve organized a union. We’ll have them and results of their vote on it on tonight’s show. Then, one might think that being head of the Texas AFL-CIO would be a thankless job in such an anti-union state, but Rick Levy made the state’s labor movement broader, bolder, and more inclusive. We’ll find out how. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.
Ever heard of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers based in Detroit in the 1970s? There’s a new book called Motown and the Making of Working-Class Revolutionaries. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, we’ll talk to the authors. Then, the Missouri legislature will short-change schools next year making grants from the Kansas City Public School Foundation more necessary than ever. Find out about their vital role. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month with Mark Galus.
Pharmacists at the University of Kansas Medical Center in KCK have petitioned for a union election. It’s next week. They wonder why there’s so little room for advancement in their jobs and why the rules leave them without justice on the job. Our feature is Safety First with Mary Erio.
What impact are ICE raids having on immigrant workers and communities in rural Missouri? This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, we’ll talk to University of Michigan Prof. William D. Lopez about his book "Raiding the Heartland.” Then the new Labor Caucus of Missouri legislators is fighting for legislation to support workers and unions. We’ll talk to Rep Adrian Plank. Our feature is Voices from Labor History.
There’s been a lot of news lately about the Port Authority and how the Kansas City building trades unions finally got them to agree to require developers that it subsidizes to pay workers decently, but there’s little talk about the cost of economic growth to our schools and libraries who sacrifice tax income to fund development. We’ll talk to teachers about it and ask, should the Plaza be saved at the expense of our kids’ futures? Then, the Missouri legislature is trying to kill the state income tax. We’ll find out from the Missouri Budget Project’s Amy Blouin how much that will cost the worki
A member of the new KC Bus Riders Union says, “We want to show that the buses can serve everyone, not just people who rely on them as a lifeline to get to work.” This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we’ll find out more. Then The International Association of Theatrical and Stage Employees Local 31 members do the set up and take down, scenery, and support work for trade shows, plays and concerts. We’ll find out how they’re staffing up for the World Cup. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.
Sick of junk fees, phone scams and wasted time with customer service? We’ll talk with Chad Maisel of the Groundwork Collaborative about the so-called Annoyance Economy that costs us hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Then, two restaurant workers share how they’re organizing for change with the Missouri Workers Center—from fast food to full service. Hear their stories and what’s next for worker power in Missouri. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month.
It’s baseball season, and it’s the 50th anniversary of free agency. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, we’ll look at one of the most successful unions in American labor history – the Major League Baseball Players Association. We’ll talk with Michael Haupert, economics professor and expert on the business of baseball, about the union and the union’s biggest win – free agency for players. Our feature is Safety First with Mary Erio.
The KC Indivisible Social Justice Chorus will raise their voices in song in a preview of their appearance at the Mill Creek NO Kings rally next Saturday. Then, six of every ten food workers in Great Britain make wages that are insufficient to meet their basic needs for food and energy. Now British unions are exposing the causes of declining wages and making hunger a union issue in their campaign: Uniting Against Hunger. Our feature is Washington Window with Mark Gruenberg.
This year’s legislative session may leave working people in a state of Misery, their rights assaulted, with fewer public services and less funding for public schools, and their pockets fleeced as the legislature substitutes high sales taxes for the state income tax. This week on the Heartland Labor we’ll get the latest on what the legislature is doing from Missouri House Representatives Mark Sharp and Kemp Strickler and from Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.
The Kansas legislature has a month to go and there’s good news and bad for working families. We’ll find out more this week on the Heartland Labor Forum from Jake Lowen, the new Executive Secretary of the Kansas AFL-CIO. Then many Kansas Citians rely on city buses for work. shopping, and doctor visits, while city bus drivers face threatened layoffs and assaults on the job. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month.
