in section 13, it says if you sign that resignation contract, the employee agrees never to enforce the contract in court or any other form. Basically, that means it's worthless, folks. on the Boiling Point podcast.
Michelle updates us on the trials and tribulations of A FGE, the American Federation of Government Employees And it's really disappointing because beyond just repealing president Biden's executive orders, they went even further back into history to repeal executive orders from 2011, 2014, 2016, that really did help increase representation and access and inclusion to federal resources. so many different ways from El Cafecito Del Dia, the impact of Trump's executive orders.
On DEI programs You know, we're, we're having a lot, a lot of challenges, but this union has stayed as always carried, uh, above its weight class, with class and style, and we've always been able to organize. And so we've got to, we've got to ramp that up. on the BCTGM Voices project, the podcast from the Bakery Workers Union.
many of the original porters came directly out of slavery, they used to call the job Miles of Smiles, because they only lived on tips, they received no salary, and in order to get paid, You had to smile and sort of a little bit. In the first of our Black History Month segments from Stuck Nation, legendary labor leader A. Philip Randolph still speaks to us today.
Black History Month is a celebration of who I am as an American The long heritage that we represent in this country and all the efforts that have been made to bring about the changes that we presently have.
Then, Tina Turner Morfitt, Dr. Audrey Terrell, and Deborah Hall salute Black History Month on Labor Radio on KABU FM can you imagine being in the 1920s and thirties and organizing as much as we complain about what we don't like about certain circumstances today, man, this is easy peasy compared to what, what these workers had to go through to form a union. In with the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.
And finally, on the Teamster View, Randy Corgan talks about Black History Month and how the struggle continues today. I'm Chris Scarlock, and that's all coming up on this week's edition of the Labor Radio Podcast Weekly. Let's get started, as we do each week, with Harold's quick rundown of shows you should know. Social media guy Harold Phillips here again, folks, and, ha ha, if you've been watching the news, you know there has been a lot to talk about.
There's been a lot for our labor radio show and podcast producers to talk about, too. So much, in fact, that many of them have produced multiple episodes over the past week. And not all of it is about the news. Here's a few shows you should know for the week of February 9th. Alan released two Classes of Mail podcasts over the past week. First, he discusses the ways things went horribly wrong at his branch meeting.
Then, he talks about the NALC assigning a team of investigators to step in and take over all of his and Michael's Article 10 charges. Sam and Gabe also released two Labor John podcasts over the past week. First, they tell the story of John Henry Stump. Reading, Pennsylvania's first socialist mayor. Then they take a look at the Reading Railroad Massacre, when the Pennsylvania militia opened fire on civilians and striking railroad workers.
And two Working Class History podcasts were released over the past week. First, Jeremy Brecher discusses strikes by postal workers, teamsters, hospital workers, and other working people during the Vietnam War. Then, in the latest entry in the Radical Read series, Alex Charnley and Michael Richmond talk about their book, Fractured, race, class, gender, and the hatred of identity politics. You'll need to subscribe to their Patreon for that, but Trust me, it's worth the cost.
Plus, Micah speaks to the Center for Working Class Politics Jared Abbott about Democrats losing working class voters, why it matters, and the prospects for reversing it on Reinventing Solidarity. Madison Labor Radio shares stories on a march and rally in Madison to protest the Trump and Musk takeover of the government, Trump going after the National Labor Relations Board, federal workers fear and uncertainty, and more.
And on the Green and Red podcast, Bob and Scott talk to Jeff Goobler about his new theater skit, They Live, and talk about why even in dire times, A little humor can go a long way. And you know where to find links to all these labor radio shows and podcasts, right? Just head over to laborradionetwork. org. And if you want to find out when the latest episodes of labor radio shows and podcasts are on the air or uploaded to the internet, be sure to follow us on social media.
At Labor Radio Net, on Blue Sky, and Facebook, Instagram, and, for now. You know, it's a funny thing. I've got a feeling there's gonna be a lot more to talk about. And I've got a funny feeling our Labor Radio show and podcast producers are going to keep talking. Head on over to the website, find a couple of new shows to listen to, and add them into your podcast feed, or be sure to tune in when they go on the air.
If there's one thing you can say about the state of the world today, every day there's something more to talk about. Back to you, Chris. Hey, thanks Harold. Here's the show. Welcome to the show, Boiling Point. News and views of working families struggling for justice around the city, around the country, around the world. I'm your host, Michelle Dunn, proud member of CFT Local 1520. How's everybody doing? You know, last night I was at the Cincinnati AFL CIO delegate meeting.
This is where all the affiliates of the AFL CIO here in our area, we gather once a month, um, and share out, you know, Uh, with our contracts, with our work, with our organizing campaigns, whatever we're working on. Man, there was a lot to talk about last night. Um, you know, last week, uh, I did, we did a show on AFG, the American Federal Government Employees. National union. And of course, you know, we have some local affiliates of AFG right here in Cincinnati.
We have workers that work at NIOSH, at the VA, at social security offices, at the IRS. Um, there are federal workers all across this great land and they are all, um, really the first to feel this, um, incredibly unprecedented attack. Um, On their jobs and on their work, So I have a clip for you. I want to play now We're gonna hear from an AFG president.
Okay, she works at the Department of Education The department of education in DC, and she is talking to ABC news in an interview about what the experience has been like for federal workers amid this situation. Joining us now is Sharia Smith, the AFGE union president, representing the Department of Education's bargaining unit. So, Sharia, thank you for being with us, and I just want to ask you, so, what is going on at, at the Department of Education?
You could ask that about the government, given the changes the president wants to exact. Is this an attempt to go after the, uh, what do you call it, the DEI initiatives throughout the government, or is it an attempt to go after the department as a whole? You know, what's happening is pure chaos. It's chaos that our union actually is designed to prevent what is happening is a disruption of the services my colleagues and I provide to the american public.
Uh, you know, 74 members of our bargaining unit and even more managers and senior leaders, uh, were placed. We're notified that they're on leave and could not work and could not serve the American public on Friday night. I'm not in enough time for them to even look at their recipients, the students, the school districts, their families that they work for and serve. Uh, not enough time to even notify them that they would be on break.
So, listen, the national president of the American Federal Government Employee Group, right, union, they have put out a memo, um, lots of guidance and advice to their members, uh, they're saying don't, don't fall. For the hokey doke, you know, don't do that. Resign. Email. Let me quote President Everett Kelly, quote, Federal employees should know that approved union contracts are enforceable by law, and the President does not have the authority to make unilateral changes to those agreements.
AFGE members will not be intimidated. If our contracts are violated, we will aggressively defend them. And quote, that's right. These offers of quote, deferred resignations by the Trump administration isn't even backed up by real money or anything real. There's a section in it that says, in section 13, it says if you sign that resignation contract, the employee agrees never to enforce the contract in court or any other form. Basically, that means it's worthless, folks.
So yeah, thanks for listening To, uh, Boiling Point First Tower, don't go anywhere, and here we go. See you soon. All Bienvenidos al Cafecito del Día. Brought to you by the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. Our conversations are inspired by the moments of togetherness that nuestra comunidad shares over un cafecito. Bienvenidos a la tercera temporada del Cafecito del Día. Soy Carmen Rodríguez. We are kicking off 2025 with an urgent and impactful topic for our community.
Durante las últimas dos semanas, We have witnessed a series of executive orders signed by the president that are already negatively impacting hundreds of workers and are dismantling policies of equity and inclusion our nation had achieved. In this Coffee of the Day, we are joined by Melody González, former executive director for the Hispanic Initiative for the White House. Welcome, Melody. Gracias, Carmen. It's a real joy and honor to be here with you and the LACLAN and Latino community.
Let's start with the basic. Empecemos por el principio. What are DEI programs and what is the connection between these programs and workers? Well, DEI technically stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and really there are a number of different ways to describe this sort of space of work.
Some people also call it DEIA, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, or DEIB, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, but really what we know is that So often in our society, there are lots of different factors that impact people's ability to access jobs, opportunities, and those systemic barriers oftentimes may be attributed to a number of different factors. Maybe where you were born, where you were raised, language access, citizenship status, a number of different factors.
And that doesn't mean that people that may have some of those different characteristics aren't talented. In fact, there are a ton of talented people that are worthy of a lot of the different opportunities in our nation and economic opportunities, educational opportunities, but sometimes there are different barriers that have kept them from being able to access those. Can you give us a brief overview of the executive order signed and what do we need to understand?
Absolutely. When I stepped into my, my job under the Biden administration, people would sometimes wonder, do executive orders really make a difference? And the answer is they really do. In our case, it was to make a lot of great progress. In this case, unfortunately, there is a lot of dismantling happening at a very rapid pace that we all need to be watchful for. And so there are a number of executive orders. These are actions the president took.
Some are especially alarming, one of the first ones that went out actually lowered or repealed a number of different executive orders including President Biden's day one executive order, the executive order that established my old office, the White House Hispanic initiative and a president's advisory commission on Hispanics.
We were really proud during our term to actually work with president Biden to issue an executive order, establishing a White House initiative on Hispanic serving institutions and a board of advisors on that. All of these executive orders, as well as those for our sister White House initiatives for black Americans, native Americans, Asian American, native Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders were among the long list. of executive orders in offices that were repealed.
There have also been other executive orders that went on to require agencies to terminate programs that they perceived to be having to do with diversity and equity as well as environmental justice. Agencies were asked to put staff that worked in those offices on paid administrative leave.
it's really disappointing because beyond just repealing president Biden's executive orders, they went even further back into history to repeal executive orders from 2011, 2014, 2016, that really did help increase representation and access and inclusion to federal resources. so many different ways. Muy importante. Melody, stay tuned, stay informed, take care of each other. Thank you so much for being with us and for share all this information. Of course. Muchas gracias, Garmin.
I appreciate the opportunity to be in conversation with you and our community. You're listening to the labor radio podcast weekly from the labor radio podcast network laborradionetwork. org This is the BCTGM Voices Project. In this episode, the BCTGM acknowledges a new year, a new legislative landscape, and the loss of a colleague with a roundtable discussion on internal organizing. the first thing that we need to do is address the fact that we lost a staff member, a very important staff member.
John Price 2nd, very unexpectedly. Um, and, and as has been written about him on our website, he was a tireless organizer. Never back down from a challenge. He was very passionate about working with, uh, non union members to organize, uh, in their facilities. Um, and he, he really did stick with it. I mean, I think the longest campaign that he ran within our union lasted for most of his career, that would be the one consolidated biscuit, which is now hard side foods.
Uh, he was working on that all the way up until the day he died. Um, and I know that those workers miss him very much as well. Um, john became a member of our union in 1979, a member of local six at bake right rolls in philadelphia. He was recognized as a talented organizer. And his first decade there and hired by the International Union in 1990 quickly became an international rep from there.
And then he was brought on as the organizing director when David Durkee went from the secretary treasurer organizing director on to becoming the president of the union. He put John in that role. David Woods is, uh, he's taking on the that role for now. Um, he's still going to be our secretary treasurer, but he is going to be doing the duties of John Price going forward.
And so we're going to go ahead and talk to David now about the vision that you have for this department and where you're trying to get started and what what you see going forward. President Shelton, uh, asked me, uh, assigned me to to be the director of organizing. And of course, I humbly took it because I think we've got to move forward into the future. John's kept a good fight going. We've got a good base. But with innovation, uh, with plant closings, jobs going overseas.
We're going out of the country to Mexico or Canada to, um, you know, upgrades and facilities or copackers. You know, we're, we're having a lot, a lot of challenges, um, that I, that have took down membership over many years and it's weakened our unions and, but this union has stayed as always carried, uh, above its weight class, um, with, with, with class and style, and we've always been able to organize. And so we've got to, we've got to ramp that up. Now, my experience.
And my vision for this union right now coming in is to try to let, uh, develop a baseline of where are we at? I've just got this row start in January or just a couple weeks ago, and my goal is to find out, you know, what is the baseline for what we have, what's going on around the country and in Canada, because this is an international union. And so we've sent out a recent survey to every local to fill out about some things about their local each shop that they represent.
each contractor represent and also a survey about their goals, their goals for external organizing or internal organizing. Uh, and what are some of the challenges that they see? Because I need to know what they need to be able to be successful in organizing, whether it be internal or external. Now, my experience all comes from from the south. Uh, where I was a member of local, uh, uh, 25 before that I was a grain miller and local 165 G that merged later in with 25.
but, uh, I was, uh, I worked in a flour mill and it was right to work. My plant was 100 percent union the day I walked in there and it was 100 percent union when I left.
The membership always took on the ownership that anybody coming to plant was educated about the union and about the power that we have when we're strong and in a right to work state, workers have a choice whether to whether to belong to a union and still work under that contract and for them to understand and take the initiative to educate. We explained what the role is when it comes to contract negotiations. You're only as strong as your membership.
The first thing that companies look at is how many members do you have? How many people are in the union? Where, where in the plant are the members? If you don't, if you're not a hundred percent. and because they're going to pick and choose what their proposals are on who they need to satisfy. And so that weakens us when when our numbers are not strong. If you found this content valuable, please consider sharing it on your own social media pages and be sure to tag us.
We are BCTGM on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more on the activities of the BCTGM, go to bctgm. org. Hey, this is Judy Ansel from the Heartland Labor Forum. We're a radio that talks back to the boss, and we're proud to be part of the Labor Radio Podcast network. With more than 200 Labor radio shows and podcasts from across the country and around the world. The Labor Radio Podcast Network. We're working people speak. Find [email protected]. Good morning, New York, the news.
Jersey as well as a great world beyond this is Bob Henley at Stuck Nation because we surely are. This is WBAI's Morning Drive Time Labor and Social Justice Magazine. What's going on? This is the first Monday of Black History Month. Yes, we are still doing it. Uh, Professor Joe Wilson, author of Tearing Down the Color Bar, a documentary history and analysis of Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, which is really the definitive biography of A. Philip Randolph.
Good morning, Professor. Good morning, Bob. I did just want to start, if Michael's got it ready, we were able to find a little bit of an obscure bit of sound from 1963 to give us a sense of the flavor of the man, the giant A. Philip Randolph. Michael, if you could play that. In the struggle against these forces, all of us should be prepared to take to the streets.
The spirit and techniques that built the labor movement, founded churches, and now guide the civil rights revolution must be a massive crusade, must be launched against the unholy coalition of dixocrats and, uh, the racists that seek to strangle Congress. We here today are under the first wave. When we leave it will be to carry on the civil rights revolution home with us.
Into every nook and cranny of the land, and we shall return again and again to Washington in every growing numbers until total freedom is ours. Yeah. Yeah. So, uh, Joe Wilson, uh, that was quite a powerful speech. Give us a little bit of a thumbnail introduction into who was this man. Well, first, let, let me say that, uh, that's a wonderful clip and gives insights into the energy, charisma, and vision of A. Philip Randolph.
Uh, and of course you can hear in his voice sort of the impact of his family. His, his father was an AME minister, and so he grew up under that, you know, magnificent influence. So, he was born in, uh, 1889 in, uh, Crescent City, Florida. He died in Manhattan in 1979, at the age of 90. I have to give a shout out to his wife Lucille. She graduated from Howard University. She ran a beauty salon in Harlem, but she didn't live the bourgeois lifestyle and she actually helped fund the messenger.
It was Randolph's periodical, uh, founded in 1917. devoted to scientific radicalism and the dialectical understanding of society, class struggle, socialism. And he really exposed parasitic capitalism, which has actually grown more parasitic over the years. Uh, and Randolph was a believer and a practicer of black and white unity. Today we would call that multi ethnic unity. And I don't say multiracial because there's only one race. There's a human race.
He was educated at city college back in the day when there was no tuition. And, um, he founded the first.
National Black Union of Workers, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, uh, he, and by the way, before Randolph, uh, helped to organize the porters, as you mentioned in your opening, uh, that many of the original porters came directly out of slavery, they used to call the job Miles of Smiles, because they only lived on tips, they received no salary, and in order to get paid, You had to smile and sort of a little bit.
They would be insulted and spat upon by the passengers, however, and they had to grin and bear it. But while they were taking the abuse from the Pullman company and from the passengers, they traveled the national railways, distributing leaflets. And organizing manuals to organize black people across the United States. So they called the porters boy. They called them all George after George Pullman, but they were the army, the foot soldiers of the civil rights and labor movement.
Wow. That was a riff and we've, we've got it. I'd say Professor Wilson, We want to hear from you too. One, two, two Oh nine, two, eight, seven, seven. Two and two, two Oh nine, two eight, seven, seven. Uh, just this little bit from Sam cook to get us fired up. In a little tent. Oh, and just like the river I've been running ever since it's been a long time coming, but I know the change. Well, yes, it will.
You're listening to the labor radio podcast weekly from the labor radio podcast network labor radio network org Hello. Welcome to the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists segment of Labor Radio, celebrated here on KBOO 90. 7 FM, Today we present to you a unique labor radio show featuring the voices of our CBTU members giving testimony of why they're engaged in the organized labor movement.
Collectively, they highlight their motivation to carry out our overall mission of striving to make the organized labor movement something you can feel again. Hello. My name is Nanette D Carter Joffrey. I'm a Portland resident and a proud union member of CBTU and I represent service employees, international union, local 503. And I am delighted to be here to represent the African American presence in Oregon.
I am a labor union member because it matters for our survival and ability to thrive in the workplace in Oregon to have a strong union presence. And that presence is you and I. CBTU is another avenue, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, where we come together as African American workers in the state to build that power. Black History Month is a celebration of who I am as an American here in the United States of America.
The long heritage that we represent in this country and all the efforts that have been made to bring about the changes that we presently have. We celebrate those that have gone before us, those that are in the struggle today and prepare a way for future generations to come behind us. So, I say it loud and clear, I'm black and I'm proud and I encourage you to be active in your union. You are listening to KBOO Portland. On 90. 7 FM and streaming online at kboo.
fm. Here we are again, Randy Corgan and the Worker Power Hour, KCAA 1050 AM, 106. 5 FM, the Teamsters 1932 Broadcast Network, live from San Bernardino. it is Black History Month and no better individuals to pick than the ones, these events and these individuals in front of us. Then, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Carporters, 1925, founded by A. Philip Randolph. This was the first predominantly black labor union to be recognized by a major corporation.
The union fought for better wages, working conditions, and respect for black railway workers. Their efforts helped lay the foundation for the civil rights movement and labor rights for all workers. They helped carry the torch in an era where, can you imagine being in the 1920s and thirties and organizing as much as we complain about what we don't like about certain circumstances today, man, this is easy peasy compared to what, what these workers had to go through to form a union.
In with the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. And so, man, let's appreciate that. And all the more reason to appreciate Black History Month. Were you going to say something, Mark? And then 20s to organize was life and death. Literally. Oh, oh, definitely. Literally. Like, getting killed. Like, this is, I know it's easy to say it, you know, 100 years later. It's like, oh, well, this happened, that happened.
But the reality was, is People were, and especially if you were black and you were organizing in the South, like, you know, you're talking about five times more dangerous than it already was to begin with. Yeah. If you're in the South, you're leaving the house knowing you might not come home. That's correct. And many people did it knowing that it was the right thing to do. So clearly recognizing the fact that, that we have to. We have to pay our respect for the challenging time like it was.
Thank you for those that put up that fight hundred years ago 80 years ago 70 years ago Thank you, because it makes things a lot easier for us today It gives us a much stronger foundation to work off of Randy Corgan with the work of power hour KCA 10:50 AM 1 0 6 point. Teamsters 1932 Broadcast Network, live from San Bernardino.
Hey, that's a wrap for this week's edition of the Labor Radio Podcast Weekly, our roundup of some of the programs aired over the last week on more than 200 labor radio and podcast shows. They're all part of the Labor Radio Podcast Network shows that Focus on working people's issues and concerns. We've got links to all the network shows labor radio network.
org You can also find them use the hashtag labor radio pod on twitter x facebook instagram all that good stuff Hey, don't forget to let us know what you think of the show drop us a note info at labor radio network. org And you can be part of the network. You do not even need a microphone. Labor Radio Podcast Network T shirts are available. They are union made. You'll find them in all sizes and two colors at laborradionetwork. org.
This podcast is recorded under a SAG, After Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Labor Radio Podcast, weekly edited this week by Captain Swing. I produce the show, and Our social media guru always and forever is Mr. Harold Phillips. For the Labor Radio Podcast Weekly, this has been Chris Garlock. Stay active and stay tuned to your local labor radio podcast show. We will see you next week.