We all work at districts that are already stretched thin, we're all doing three or four jobs. and the playing field is already unlevel, now you're just going to put a crater in the middle of the playing field, and it's just morally irresponsible. Teachers talk about the impact education cuts will have on kids on the Union Talk podcast. I'm gonna ask that this group help me make noise like it was 2011.
So that my colleagues in our offices can hear you demanding today in this capital that they tax the rich and fund our schools Then from Labor Radio on WORT, teachers and Advocates in Madison, Wisconsin. we are first responders for anybody's medical. Emergency on the mountain or, or possible emergency. We certainly go to a lot of things where we're just helping people get down the mountain when they're maybe in over their head a little bit, not prepared for the terrain.
Don't want to get hurt a little scared And that's why we're all here is because we love this work. And in order to do it properly, we, we require these relationships and this trust and these bonds that, that are built over, over experience Organizing in Utah and Colorado Ski Communities. The Labor Exchange reports you know, we decide, okay, you know, they're, they got two principals in a studio. They don't really need us.
This other one is on a rooftop with a helicopter with 50 background and 30 stunt performers. I, we might go to that one, you know? Meet the union reps keeping Frontline Union members safe on the SAG After podcast you know, first and foremost, the U. S., in order to claim its victory, has really worked over the century to erase Panama's role. But of course, there would be no canal without the role of Panama. on the Heartland Labor Forum, labor historian Julie Green on who built the Panama Canal.
Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions was, uh, the, the only remaining big organization that could, uh, actually, uh, tell the position of the workers, working people of Belarus. And the position was that we, the working people of Belarus are against the war And in our final segment from Labor Start Radio and interview with Liza Melich exiled Trade Unionist from Belarus. I'm Chris Garlock. And that's all ahead. Uh, this week's edition of the Labor Radio Podcast Weekly.
Let's get started with Harold's. Quick rundown of shows. You should know. Thanks, Chris Social media guy, Harold Phillips here again, folks, and if you've been watching the news or just paying attention to the world in general, you know that there is a lot to talk about. Our Labor Radio show and podcast producers know that too. They know it so well that a lot of them released more than one episode over the past week.
Here's just a few multiple shows you should know for the week of March 2nd, two, green and red podcasts were released over the past week. First, Scott talks to Valerie with the troublemakers in Seattle about the viral protests against Elon and Tesla. Then Scott and Bob discussed Trump and Vance's press conference with Velo Zelensky, the DEI purge at the Pentagon and more. Alan released three classes of mail podcasts over the past week.
First, Michael joins him to talk about the NLCS contract with USPS and why management finds it so easy to violate its terms. Then he looks at whether NALC branch presidents are the appropriate people to be the voice of the branch. Finally. NALC branch, 36 members, Carlton Pinto and Brian Gutierrez. Join him to talk about what it takes to run for office and why it's important for candidates to be guided by a deep passion to help your fellow carriers and reform the branch.
I. While we're on the subject of mail carrier podcasts, Richie talked with Fed Up host Ron Speakman and NALC branch 2 5 4 President Bill Kribel about OWCP training experiences, branch bashing the state of the N alcs National Agreement, and more on hothouse with Richie Ray two. Labor and energy shows were released over the past week. First Jay Duck and Kra talk with Toby Rice and Jim Welty about the facts and benefits of natural gas in energizing America and lowering global emissions.
Then they talk with Michael Ace Davala about the benefits, versatility, and facts about propane as a major energy source in traditional energy and propane's role in energy transition. The Scaly Wags and souks share Australian Construction Industry news and discuss the manufacture division poaching C-F-M-E-U members on Concrete Gang and the worker experience is back with two new episodes.
First, Edgar talks with Deborah Dino, a founding partner at the Federal Practice Group about identifying and addressing harassment and protections for federal workers. Then Edgar talks with Austin Planar, chief of Staff at Human Nature about the importance of centering humanity in the workplace. And while we're on the subject of shows coming back, speaking of work is also back with the story of the Life and Death of Union Railroader, Phil Morgan.
And of course, you know where to find links to these shows and more than 200 more [email protected]. I. And if you wanna know when the latest episodes of Labor radio shows and podcasts are released to the world, be sure to follow us on social media at Labor Radio net, on Blue Sky and Facebook and Instagram and Twitter. For now, something tells me there's gonna be a lot more to talk about as we move forward, folks.
Be sure to keep tuning in to your favorite Labor radio show and podcast to find out what they're talking about. Back to you, Chris. Thanks, Harold. Here's the show. Welcome to Union Talk, I'm Randi Weingarten. Welcome to another episode of Union Talk. This is Randi Weingarten and today I get to be joined by four AFT members who are teaching in classrooms every single day. Marcina Toney, an autistic support teacher in Philly. Heather Stambo, a high school social studies teacher in Greenon, Ohio.
Rodney Fresh, also a high school social studies teacher, but from Detroit. And Jennifer Graves, a special ed teacher in New Haven, Connecticut. In this day and age, with everything that's going on with the Trump administration, it takes some courage to speak out. And so I really, really, really appreciate Marcina and Heather and Rodney and Jennifer joining me.
So, I just want to ask, when I say these big numbers, or when I say that they could get rid of Title I, IDEA, Pell Grant, CTE Grant, Grants for Rural Schools, Grants for Community Schools, What's your first reaction to all of this? Jenny? Yes. Hi, being an urban district here in New Haven, federal cuts would be absolutely devastating. Here in the state of Connecticut, we received 321 million of federal funds for education. And in New Haven, we get 21. million dollars of federal funding.
Our schools are already grossly underfunded in Connecticut. We are really, really struggling already and constantly working in a deficit model to support not only general education students, but especially our most vulnerable population, our multilingual learners, our students with disabilities. The majority of our students go to Title I schools. They all receive free breakfast and lunches. It would be absolutely devastating to lose this.
And as a parent here in New Haven County, my son receives a Pell Grant to go to Connecticut State University. So Knowing that teachers don't make the salaries that we so well deserve, I would not be afforded to pick up a college tuition right now to send my son to a four year school. So from parents to students, to educators, to other school professionals, it would really be devastating for student growth, for opportunities in the world. Just for public education as a whole.
Rodney, you've dealt with so many cuts over so many years in terms of Detroit. When you hear this after, as we're kind of getting over the hump of all of the cuts in Detroit, what are you thinking about these numbers and the magnitude of these cuts? I'm just blown away. Like you said, we were a district that went through bankruptcy. We had the literacy lawsuit, which I was also involved in. And so. Title one, title two dollars, like 32 percent of our budget right now is federal funding.
It's key. We're at a state since we came out of bankruptcy that We can't leverage all of our meals because we're still paying down old state debt. And so I think I just want to put a face on it because I had a student that had an internship from a CTE program and her internship was put on hold because the funding was put on hold and I didn't even realize and I'm like, why haven't you left for Bowtech? And she was like, I haven't been placed yet.
And then she kind of told me, you know, it's because the funding for right now, so we don't know what's going to happen with the program. And I just think it's We all work at districts that are already stretched thin, we're all doing three or four jobs. We have students taking speech online because there aren't enough speech teachers, and the playing field is already unlevel, now you're just going to put a crater in the middle of the playing field, and it's just morally irresponsible.
So this is Union Talk and thanks for listening to this episode Welcome to Madison Labor Radio. A rally in support of public education was held today in Madison. Greg Jabosky reports. Another election day in Wisconsin, another local referendum to raise local property taxes to keep local schools funded. This year, 86 jurisdictions throughout the state will vote on public school funding referenda.
But today, teachers, administrators, elected officials, students, and parents from urban, suburban, and rural public schools gathered from across the state on the mezzanine level of the state capitol rotunda, backed by a bust of fighting Bob LaFollette to say that enough was enough. From noon to after 1 p. m. 24 different speakers with stories to tell demand a responsible state education funding.
Heather Dubois, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Public Education Network, described the situation. There are 86 school districts that have a referendum on their ballot. Six and we're gonna work our butts off. We're gonna work like hell to get those referendums passed, right? But we know that that system is not sustainable. Kendrick Hopan, executive director of the Kenosha Education Association, says her district is in dire straits after recently losing a school funding referendum.
Like many across the state, we were forced into an impossible position, one created by lawmakers who have systemically underfunded public education for years. And rather than fulfilling their duty to provide every Wisconsin child with access to a high quality public education, they have shifted the burden onto local communities, forcing us to fend for ourselves.
Angelina Cruz, the president of Racine Educators United, and a newly elected member of the state legislature, says there is a clear solution. I'm gonna ask that this group help me make noise like it was 2011. So that my colleagues in our offices can hear you demanding today in this capital that they tax the rich and fund our schools. So, State Assembly Member and Racine Teachers Union President Angelina Cruz, speaking today at the Capitol in support of state public school funding.
For Labor Radio, I'm Greg Jabosky. Hey, this is Dan Golodner from Tales From the Ruther Library. I'm 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 where working people speak. Find [email protected]. This is the labor exchange on KGNU, Boulder, Denver, and Fort Collins. I'm your host, Robert Lindgren with the Colorado AFL CIO and Denver Newspaper Guild.
On this week's labor exchange, we talked to union organizer, Ryan Deneen, president of the Breckenridge Professional. Ski Patrol union, part of United Mountain Workers and CWA local seven, seven, eight, one. Welcome to the labor exchange. Ryan. Thanks for having me. Great. So we want to. Jump in and talk about the current work ski patrollers are doing to unionize but first we like to get to know our guests So, can you start by just telling us a bit about yourself? Yeah, absolutely Let's see.
I My name is Ryan Dineen. I live in Breckenridge, Colorado at the base of the Breckenridge ski resort with my my wife of 10 years and two Two little boys, five and seven. Um, I have been a ski patroller for 13 years. I've worked in the ski industry for about 17 and my current, like role within in, in the ski world, in that, in that patrolling world is, uh, I'm, I'm an avalanche forecaster and, and, uh, technician. So I. Get to play a lot with snow and weather and explosives.
And that's a lot of fun. I, uh, originally come from San Diego, California and moved out to Colorado in kind of, uh, the mid two thousands, um, when I was about 27, um, so I've been kind of living and working in a mountain town for a good bit of my. Tell me about the work of the members that are in ski patrol. What are some of the other tasks that they need to do?
Yeah, it's, it's varied in, in, in All involving a good deal of intensity, you know, I, we break it up into kind of three specific categories, but there's, there's so much in between those two, but, but first and foremost, we are, we are first responders for anybody's medical. Emergency on the mountain or, or possible emergency.
We certainly go to a lot of things where we're just helping people get down the mountain when they're maybe in over their head a little bit, not prepared for the terrain. Don't want to get hurt a little scared, but we, we respond to medical emergencies, be that, you know, as simple as a twisted knee, uh, to, to very. Intense traumatic injuries to, to medical scenarios where people are having medical emergencies on our mountain.
Another piece that we are solely responsible for is evacuating any kind of chairlift that were to not function. So if the chair with chairlifts were to break down and we, we weren't able to unload those people in a traditional manner, we are trained to go and evacuate those people with ropes and. That is a, one of those high consequence, low frequency events that, that characterizes a lot of the work that we do. And then again, bringing that snow science and snow safety piece into it.
Just about every ski patroller at Breckenridge is involved in our, in our snow safety program at some level. So we are out there mitigating avalanches and preventing, preventing those from happening while we're open. So why are workers in ski country choosing to come together to form unions? Well, you know, there's a, there's a history of unions within, uh, ski patrolling, uh, that date back into the seventies with some work in Aspen and in the eighties with Crested Butte.
I think now, uh, we're seeing a big shift in. The challenges that come with living in the towns to do the work that we need to do, whether that be the advent of short term rentals, kind of helping to eat up some of the available housing, um, wages stagnating for, for far too long, where I think at times our employers looked at. The line of people willing and ready to do the kind of work we do as seeing that kind of devalues us as workers.
Um, since, uh, we would be quote unquote replaceable, but I think that that kind of, uh, doesn't speak to the, to the high level of training that most of us commit to over a lot of years. Uh, I think those growing pressures, um, with inflation, uh, and things like that really came to a head in, uh, during the time, uh, during COVID.
Uh, I like to say there was a lot of stress fractures in our industry and, and I'm sure just like COVID broke a lot of other industries, it broke our industry and, and highlighted the disparities. Um, the, the pay gaps and, and some of the challenges that we faced just trying to retain talented employees to make for a safer work environment. Well, I really appreciate that, Ryan, and I appreciate you taking time to talk with us today on KGNU. Thank you, Robert. This has been, this has been fun.
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the SAG AFTRA podcast. I'm Duncan Crabtree Ireland, SAG AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator. Today, we're going to explore a critical component of the union's contract enforcement, protecting members safety and rights on set, the SAG AFTRA Field Services Department.
During production, it's vital that working conditions and contract protections are being followed, from ensuring proper safety protocols, to are in place for stunts and intimate scenes to confirming that minors work hours are being respected and making sure background actors are managed safely during large crowd scenes. That's where SAG AFTRA's field services representatives come in. Field reps are the front lines of contract enforcement. They're the cops on the beat for SAG AFTRA.
Now to break down what you need to know about their essential role on set, I'm joined today by Jim Damas. and Samantha McIver. Maybe you can talk a little bit about what field reps do and what their primary role is, how it is that they go about helping protect members on set. Sure. I mean, as you said earlier, they're the front lines of enforcement. They're the cops out there. They visit the sets to ensure.
that the companies are compliant with the CBAs and they cover all the, all the contracts, the TV theatrical, new media, commercials, low budgets, you name it. We try to resolve all issues, uh, and claims on behalf of members, working conditions, safety concerns, minors, other priorities. They have to know the practical application of work rules, how they play out on a set. They have to know the past practice and the agreed interpretation. So there's a lot that goes into the training.
Um, they're the voice of reason out there. You know, productions will tend to get caught up in the fog of getting the shot and field reps are the only ones on that set who are not receiving a paycheck from that employer. So we could say, wait a minute, the emperor has no clothes. Are you kidding me? So anyway, um, where they educate their counterparts, UPMs, you know, to understand the contract interpretations. And of course they meet with the members.
We, the mantra is to try to get to every single member on a set. Um, these are very valuable, important relationships, field reps with these members on set. when we have to approach a topic that makes everyone feel uncomfortable, I didn't get this, I didn't get my, you know, NDB or I don't feel safe. Then if we have the rep there, then they're just saying, this is what they're supposed to get. So we're just speaking on behalf of our performers, which is what we deserve.
And, you know, some people also kind of just get, let their emotions take over. So it is always better to get the reps to come and just, you know, show that we're, we're not, we're not trying to fight with you, we're just trying to get what we're owed so without revealing any You know any state secrets Jim. How do Field reps or you or whoever decides this decide what sets field reps should visit. Is there a system? Is it random?
What can you tell us, again, without revealing anything that, uh, that strategically we need to keep, uh, under, under lock and key? No trade secrets, but, uh, basically, uh, Duncan, it's the, it's prioritized towards, uh, stunts, uh, hazardous or rough work, potentially dangerous locations. If exteriors, extreme weather.
Uh, anything that's that we perceive to be a potential working conditions concern, uh, they work nights, weekends, holidays, whenever the priority is scheduled, we try to get a rep out there. Um, we get the call sheets on the automatic distribution list. Then this was, this is critical. We have a hundred percent compliance in this now.
So they come out when the crew gets, and we get them the night before and, uh, the reps, you know, we decide, okay, you know, they're, they got two principals in a studio. They don't really need us. This other one is on a rooftop with a helicopter with 50 background and 30 stunt performers. I, we might go to that one, you know? So that's how we basically break it down. The priority sets, we get the call, we get the call sheets. We don't announce our visits. We like a candid view when we show up.
Thank you so much, Jim. Thank you, Samantha, for being here on the SAG AFTRA podcast today. I You are listening to 90. 1 FM KKFI Kansas City Community Radio. Stay tuned for the Heartland Labor Forum. Radio that talks back to the boss. Hi, this is Judy Ansel.
The Panama Canal has been much in the news lately, and so has our guest Julie Green, who in 2009 wrote the book, The Canal Builders, and Just this year published a short sequel about the most ignored and largest group of canal builders, the Caribbean workers. Julie Green is a professor of American and labor history at the University of Maryland. So welcome to the show, Julie. Thanks, Judy. It's great to be here and chat with you.
So, yeah, it was a 10 mile wide strip across the country, which the U. S. got sovereignty to and proceeded to build the canal. And the canal was a huge triumph. It was greeted that way when, you know, after 10 or 11 years, I think it was, of building it, and really established the U. S. as a world class power, a world class imperialist power, I guess I'd say. And this was right after the Spanish American War, where we had taken our first colonies.
American power, American ingenuity got the credit, but the canal was really an international venture. Where did all the workers come from? Right, so that, that's really important, I think, to remember that this was a complex international project. I mean, you know, first and foremost, the U. S., in order to claim its victory, has really worked over the century to erase Panama's role. But of course, there would be no canal without the role of Panama.
In addition, workers came from many different parts of the world, but the bulk of labor was completed by people of African descent from the Caribbean, especially Jamaica and Barbados. So at any time you might have 30, 000 or so Afro Caribbean workers, uh, digging, dynamiting, shifting tracks, really doing the hardest and the most dangerous labor. And they did most of the dyeing too, right? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, there were, you know, there were people from other parts of the world.
There were five or six thousand white Americans. There were maybe a couple hundred black Americans. There were Europeans. Gradually, the U. S. started bringing in Spaniards and Italians and Greeks, hoping they would push the Afro Caribbeans to work harder. But it was mostly Afro Caribbean labor. And yeah, the, The deaths were, the official U. S. estimate is that 5, 600 people died during the U. S. construction decade.
And of those, almost all of them were Afro Caribbeans, or maybe to a small number, Panamanians or Southern Europeans who were all the ones who did the most difficult labor. Um, the best estimate is that only a little more than 300 white Americans died. So not many at all. There were a number of women who came from, uh, the West Indies, the Caribbean areas as well. What did they do? Yeah, a lot of Afro Caribbean women came. They wanted to be there to support their men folk.
They also wanted, for the same reasons their, the men came, they, they wanted some opportunity. They wanted to escape the crushing poverty and racism on the, on their home islands. They worked typically as domestic servants in the homes of, uh, white American workers or officials, or maybe as laundresses. Um, but most often, the most typical occupation was domestic servant.
And of course, as far as the American workers, the white American workers who went down there, they could earn money that was far in excess of what they could do in the United States. Isn't that true? Yeah, it was a pretty cushy job for them. They earned more money, they got free housing that was pretty nice. The U. S. worked hard to kind of create the feelings of America in the Canal Zone.
People even worried that the white American workers were going to be turned into socialists because they had learned so much about the benefits of government ownership. So yeah, they had a, they had a sweet deal. They got six weeks paid vacation and a steamship ticket to go home every year. The pretty good gig. we've been talking to Julie Green, author of the 2009 book, The Canal Builders, and the more recent book, Box 25, Archival Secrets, Caribbean Workers, and the Panama Canal.
Thanks so much, Julie. Thank you, Judy. Great to talk with you. Hello, this is Eric Lee from LaborStart, and this is another one of our regular podcast interviews with trade union activists from around the world. Uh, this week our guest is Lisa Merliak from Belarus. Lisa is the chairperson of Saladarnost, an organization that works as basically as the Belarusian trade union movement in exile. Welcome to the show, Lisa. Thank you, Eric.
Lisa, I'm going to ask you, this is actually our second podcast interview. We talked to you a year ago, and I love talking to you, but I hope we don't have to do this every year because this is a, not a good story. What are we marking in April? We're marking the third anniversary of what? Yeah. Thank you for mentioning it and raising this issue again. Uh, that's the third anniversary of the mass arrests of trade union leaders. activists and organizers that happened in Belarus in 2022.
That was April 19th that the offices of trade unions that belonged to the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions were raided by the police and all the leaders were basically arrested and at the moment they are in jail. So can you tell us, I mean, why were these union leaders arrested, but what did the regime say, and what's the real reason they were arrested, as you understand it?
Yeah, well, basically, all those arrests happened, uh, uh, soon after the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions announced its clear and firm position on the war that started in Ukraine by the Russian regime and Putin and Lukashenko supported this war. He backed up Putin and provided the territory of Belarus to shoot the rockets on Ukrainian territory and killing Ukrainians.
So basically at that time Um, the civil society of Belarus and, uh, the civil society organizations of Belarus were destroyed. And Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions was, uh, the, the only remaining big organization that could, uh, actually, uh, tell the position of the workers, working people of Belarus. And the position was that we, the working people of Belarus are against the war.
And soon after this, uh, uh, this statement of, uh, Bekadipe, this is the shortening of this Congress, um, the leaders of Bekadipe were arrested and put to jail and the government said that, uh, they were extremists. Sometimes they are called terrorists for having a different opinion, different from the government position. Why is Belarus uniquely bad for trade unionists? That's a good question. Well, um, this history goes back in time.
1990s, beginning of, uh, of the 1990s, uh, with a collapse of the Soviet Union, uh, the new Democratic Trade Union movement emerged on the territory of the Soviet Union and in Belarus as well. It was the minus strikes that brought to, to this creation of, uh, uh, foundation of new democratic grassroots unions and, uh, still in Belarus, uh, together with those.
young democratic unions, the were old Soviet type of unions that were backing up the government all the time and making agreements against the workers, but on the side of the government and the employers. And in our case, employer is also a state employer. So it's government again. the democratic structure is at the moment destroyed, and uh, liquidated, illegal, extremist and terrorist, right?
So there is no real representation of workers, So, uh, this whole fake, uh, fake state exists and, uh, it is backed up by a huge brother. Russia. Right. You know, and, uh, I think that's, uh, we could have overthrown this, this regime many years ago with the Belarusians if, uh, if Lukashenko didn't have Putin on his side all the time. Lisa, it's been great talking to you as usual. No, thank you, Eric. And 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 the 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, wherever you go. Don't forget. Let us know what you think of the show. Drop us note [email protected].
You can be part of the network. You don't even need a microphone. Labor Radio Podcast Network. T-shirts are available, they're union made. You'll find them in all sizes and two [email protected]. This podcast recorded under a SAG after collective bargaining agreement. The Labor Radio Podcast weekly was edited this week by Captain Swing. I produced the show and our social media guru always and forever is Mr. Harold Phillips.
For the Labor Radio Podcast Weekly, this has been Chris Carlock. Stay active and stay tuned to your local Labor Radio podcast show. We will see you next week.