Labor Heritage Power Hour

Christopher Garlock
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Politics
  • Updated Semiweekly

A weekly radio show celebrating the cultural heritage of the American worker. Hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant and produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation; broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM

  1. 4d ago

    The Stories That Made Us

    On this week’s Labor Heritage Power Hour: Art, stories and songs don’t simply preserve labor history—they help working people recognize their power and imagine a different future. This week, we hear artists and historians at the Reuther-Pollack Labor History Symposium reflect on the creative legacy of organized labor. Erik Ruin and Tabitha Arnold explore art rooted in solidarity and working-class experience; Max Alvarez considers how stories shape who we are; and Shaun Slifer explains why he calls himself a “community-taught historian.” Then we travel to Tacoma, Washington, where union members gather each Labor Day at the grave of Ralph Chaplin, the Wobbly poet and artist who wrote “Solidarity Forever.” What began with one friend quietly honoring Chaplin has grown into a community tradition of remembrance and song. Finally, Tampa organizers Roger Butterfield and Manny Ramirez take us into Ybor City’s often-overlooked radical history—from cigar workers and Cuban independence to women-led antifascist organizing—and explain why workers must be remembered as makers of history, not passive figures in it. Plus, Harold Phillips has the latest Labor Arts News Briefs. Music: Solidarity Forever, Jester of No Court; Solidarity Forever, Leonard Cohen. Broadcast on September 10, 2026; hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant; produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman. The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport. @LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

  2. Sep 7

    Workers Fight Back in Newsrooms and Museums

    Workers in America’s newsrooms and museums are fighting back against low wages, job insecurity and the idea that devotion to their work should be compensation enough. On this special Labor Day edition of the Labor Heritage Power Hour, NewsGuild President Jon Schleuss takes us inside the organizing wave sweeping small local newsrooms. As corporate consolidation, layoffs and shrinking wages hollow out local journalism, reporters are building unions to defend their livelihoods—and the vital public-service journalism their communities depend on. Then Maida Rosenstein of UAW Local 2110 discusses the surge of organizing at museums and cultural institutions. Museum workers may love their jobs and believe deeply in their institutions, but love doesn’t pay the rent. They’re organizing for living wages, affordable health care, safer workplaces, job security and a meaningful voice on the job. First, historian Donna Haverty-Stacke joins America’s Work Force Radio host Ed “Flash” Ferenc to uncover Labor Day’s own history of worker resistance—and explain how it became America’s “respectable” labor holiday while May Day retained its more radical identity. Broadcast on September 7, 2026; hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant, Schleuss and Rosenstein interviews by producer Harold Phillips; produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman. The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport. @LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

  3. Sep 3

    Detroit’s Ring of Labor

    On this week's Labor Heritage Power Hour: “Stand with your back to the river and look through the ring of labor at the square symbols of capitalism that labor built.” The Michigan Labor History Society’s John Dick and Dave Elsila take us on a tour of Detroit’s Transcending labor monument and reveal the union story behind the Motown sound. Then, historian Kelly Goodman traces teachers’ struggles in Detroit and Chicago for well-funded, humane public education. Plus, Hali Hammer shares her favorite labor song.   Broadcast on September 3, 2026; hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant; produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman. The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport. @LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

  4. Aug 27

    Remembering Dolly, Searching for Scabby

    On this week’s Labor Heritage Power Hour: We go inside the Ohio factory where Scabby the Rat—and his friends the Greedy Pig, Fat Cat and Mother Jones—come to life. Dave Sherba of Inflatable Images tells us how Scabby was created 34 years ago and takes us through the process of transforming a three-dimensional design into printed, cut and carefully sewn vinyl. Along the way, we meet the workers whose creativity and skill have produced thousands of the labor movement’s most recognizable inflatable icons. Then, Carmen Rodriguez of El Cafecito del Día talks with historian Eladio Bobadilla about his new book, Dangerous Migration: Mexican Labor and the Fight for Immigrant Rights. Bobadilla traces the long history of portraying immigrants as threats, examines the labor movement’s complicated—and sometimes deeply troubling—relationship with undocumented workers and explains why “solidarity is not negotiable.” We also pay tribute to Dolly Parton, the country and pop legend whose songs never forgot the struggles, humor and dignity of working people, with “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “Daddy’s Working Boots,” “In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)” and “Working Girl.” Plus, Harold Phillips has the latest labor arts news and events. Broadcast on August 27, 2026; hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant; produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman. The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport. @LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

  5. Aug 20

    The Little Red Songbook Turns 117

    This week on the Labor Heritage Power Hour: We celebrate the 117th anniversary of the IWW’s Little Red Songbook, first published on August 19, 1909, to “fan the flames of discontent.” Listeners share favorite songs from the legendary collection—including “We Have Fed You All for a Thousand Years,” “Mr. Block,” “The Red Flag,” “The Preacher and the Slave” and “Dump the Bosses Off Your Back.” Later, labor historian Nick Juravich talks with veteran union organizer Phil Cohen about his new memoir, Maximum Leverage: From the Street to the Picket Line. Cohen recounts his journey from the streets of New York to organizing textile and warehouse workers across the South—and shares hard-earned lessons about power, strategy and fighting to win. Plus the latest labor arts news briefs.   Broadcast on August 20; hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant; produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman. The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport. @LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

  6. Aug 13

    Woody Guthrie’s American Song

    On this week’s Labor Heritage Power Hour: DC’s Theatre Alliance brings Woody Guthrie’s songs into today’s struggles, and Richard Trumka explains how labor artists preserve workers’ stories, strengthen solidarity and build the movement. Released on August 13; hosted & produced by Chris Garlock. The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport. @LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

  7. Aug 6

    The People's Historian: Dave Zirin on Howard Zinn

    Dave Zirin joins the Labor Heritage Power Hour to discuss The People's Historian, his new biography of Howard Zinn, and Zinn's surprising ties to Hollywood, theater, and radical history. Plus, a conversation about art, hope, and why culture still matters in hard times. Broadcast on August 6, 2026; hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant; produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman. The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport. @EdgeofSports @LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

  8. Jul 23

    Culture Is Organizing: Live from the Labor Radio Podcast Weekly

    This week, the Labor Heritage Power Hour presents a special edition adapted from the Labor Radio Podcast Weekly, featuring extended excerpts from two outstanding shows from the Labor Radio Podcast Network. Chris Garlock and Harold Phillips join The Solidarity Report to discuss labor storytelling, arts and culture, and building the Labor Radio Podcast Network, while Continent of Resistance explores how movements create cultures of solidarity through democratic organizing, relationships, and collective care. Plus, latest Labor Arts News Briefs and Labor History in 2:00. Broadcast on July 23, 2026, hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant; produced by Chris Garlock; engineered by Kahlia Chapman. The Labor Heritage Power Hour is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and syndicated on Pacifica’s Audioport. @LaborHeritage1 @wpfwdc @aflcio #1u #unions #laborradiopod

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

A weekly radio show celebrating the cultural heritage of the American worker. Hosted by Chris Garlock and Elise Bryant and produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation; broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM

Information

  • Creator
    Christopher Garlock
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    98
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Labor Heritage Power Hour

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