This episode breaks down why unions still work—even as organizing faces political and economic headwinds. We cover new data showing union workers earn more and have better benefits, major wins like the UAW’s first contract at Volkswagen in Chattanooga and Iowa nurses unionizing with the Teamsters, and ongoing strikes by healthcare workers in New York and at Kaiser Permanente. We also look at the push to pressure Starbucks over stalled contract talks, the growing crisis of soaring utility bills in New York, and how a historic general strike in Minneapolis is fueling new conversations about May Day and nationwide collective action.

This episode looks at how immigration enforcement, union-busting, and corporate cost-cutting are all part of the same war on workers — and how workers are fighting back.

We break down the Minneapolis shutdowns demanding ICE leave Minnesota, the growing wave of nurse strikes in NYC and across Kaiser Permanente facilities, UPS’s plan to cut up to 30,000 jobs while posting massive profits, and the Trump administration’s attacks on federal worker union rights.

From ICE raids to health care picket lines, the pattern is clear: fear is being used to weaken workers — and solidarity is the response.

This episode of Labor Force Podcast tracks a labor movement in motion, from mass protest to workplace transformation.

We start in Minnesota, where tens of thousands joined a coordinated economic blackout and protests demanding ICE leave the state, accountability for the killing of Renee Good, and an end to ICE funding—raising serious questions about the power and potential of general strikes.

We then cover an impending open-ended strike by 31,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers across California and Hawaii, a major union victory at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the groundbreaking of Micron’s $100 billion semiconductor project in Central New York amid environmental backlash.

The episode also explores the rise of “microshifting,” a growing push to break free from rigid 9-to-5 schedules, especially among caregivers, and what flexibility really means in an unequal labor market.

We close with a look at AI-driven layoffs, mounting worker anxiety, and how companies are using “AI” to justify cuts—along with why upskilling and collective power will shape what comes next.