Workers Held Hostage: AFL-CIO’s Jody Calemine on the Shutdown Crisis

Leslie is joined by Jody Calemine, Director of Advocacy for the 63 unions and 15 million members of the AFL-CIO, where he serves as chief lobbyist and director of government affairs. They discuss the severe toll of the ongoing government shutdown on workers and families—from unpaid federal employees turning to food banks to the ripple effects hitting local economies. Calemine warns that Congress’s failure to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits could sharply raise health costs for small-business owners and workers. He urges lawmakers to pass relief measures like the True Shutdown Fairness Act and Military and Federal Employee Protection Act, and to end political brinkmanship that’s using American workers as pawns. The website for the AFL-CIO is AFLCIO.org and their handle on Blue Sky is @AFLCIO.org. Their handle on Facebook, Instagram and X is @AFLCIO. Jody's handle on Blue Sky is @guerino.bsky.social.