Heartland Labor Forum

KKFI 90.1 FM Kansas City Community Radio

4.9 (9)
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UPDATED WEEKLY

The Heartland Labor Forum is Kansas City’s only program about the workplace. It’s radio that talks back to the boss! Whether you’re a union member or your workplace isn’t organized, Heartland Labor Forum (HLF) has stories for you, guaranteed to inspire, educate, or enrage you

6 DAYS AGO

“The Union Changed My Life” UFCW's Laura Kelly and Union Leader Series: New KC Federation of Teachers President David Price

We’ll have two remarkable union leaders. Laura Kelly (no it isn’t the governor of Kansas) from UFCW Local 655 where she’s assistant to the president. She says, “the union changed my life” and has a compelling story of how union and LGBTQ activism intersect. Then, David Price, a KCMO elementary school teacher just a couple of months ago, is now president of local 691 of the American Federation of Teachers replacing Jason Roberts. Meet him and Laura. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.

1 hr
JAN 8

Public Transit Union Fights Service Cutbacks

The union of bus drivers in Kansas City local 1287 of the Amalgamated Transit Union or ATU is bogged down in negotiations with the Area Transportation Authority or ATA amidst threatened and actual cuts to service and funding from Kansas City and suburbs. We’ll talk to Local 1287 president Nick Miller and former international vice president Javier Perez as well as former State Rep Richard Brown about the importance of maintaining a vital public transit system and its workforce. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month with Mark Galus.

1 hr
JAN 1

The Best of 2024 of the Heartland Labor Forum

As we begin the new year, we look back at highlights from the Heartland Labor Forum in 2024. We’ll hear clips of some of the most interesting interviews, features, and songs that we aired last year. Also, our feature is Safety First, all about how to stay safe while you work. Find our show on KKFI 90.1 FM or streaming at kkfi.org. We archive the show at heartlandlaborforum.org. We podcast too. #laborradiopod, #kkfi901fm.

1 hr
12/23/2024

Blue Collar Empire — The AFL-CIA and Trump’s Labor Department Pick

Starting in the 1940s US labor officials worked with the CIA to split militant unions overseas and overthrow neutral governments in an obsessive anti-communist crusade that helped make poor countries safe for the export of American jobs. We’ll talk to Jeff Schuhrke about his book Blue Collar Empire. Then, President-elect Trump raised some eyebrows when he nominated Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a Republican co-sponsor of the PRO Act, as Secretary of Labor. What’s going on? We’ll ask Rebecca Rainey, Senior Labor Department Reporter for Bloomberg Law. Our feature is Washington Window with Mark Gruenberg.

1 hr
12/16/2024

Heartland Labor Forum's Annual Crystal Ball Show

Anticipation or dread, what’s YOUR prediction for 2025? Will the current upsurge in support for unions and worker organizing continue, or will the next administration squash labor rights? Will threats of firing thousands of federal workers turn to reality? Will millions of undocumented workers get deported leading to food shortages? Our volunteers and friends will participate in our annual Crystal Ball show and make their predictions for labor for 2025.

1 hr
12/09/2024

David Kingsley Asks: Is Medicare Advantage a Scam? and Shifting Gears; Canadian Autoworkers and the Changing Landscape of Labour Politics

Do feel assaulted and confused by the abundance of Medicare Advantage ads filled with endorsements by celebrities? Tune into the Heartland Labor Forum Thursday as we clear up deceptions and explain the Medicare Advantage rip-off. Then, when the Canadian autoworkers broke away from the UAW, they built a progressive social justice union. But that’s changed. Join us for a discussion of Canadian labor with author Larry Savage of Shifting Gears; Canadian Autoworkers and the Changing Landscape of Labor Politics. Thursday at 6pm, rebroadcast Friday at 5am. Our feature is Remember Our Struggle with Ariana Eakle.

1 hr
12/03/2024

What Can We Learn from the Great Depression? and IRIS Workers Organizing

In the 1930s American workers responded to the greatest economic crisis in our history, with an upsurge of organizing, and they forced government to respond. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we talk to historian Dana Frank about her new book, What Can We Learn from the Great Depression? Then, there’s an upsurge of organizing going on today, and we’ll look at one example here in Kansas City - workers at the app-based, on-demand service called IRIS who face a greedy boss, long hours and low pay. Our feature is Safety First with Mary Erio.

1 hr
11/26/2024

Thanks for the Labor Music

Workers have been singing while working and singing about working since antiquity. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, we give thanks for labor and work songs that they’ve written. Work songs alleviate boredom and synchronize the work. We’ll hear classics from Billy Bragg, Joe Glazer, and Anne Feeney, as well as some more obscure folk and punk tracks. Tune in at 6pm Thursday with full stomachs and listen while you work washing dishes or cleaning up. Or catch the rebroadcast Friday at 5am.

1 hr

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4.9

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9 Ratings

Readdoctor

12/16/2014

American-boy

In this day and age where everything in America is for sale, it is refreshing to find Heartland Labor Forum fighting back by airing the truth.

The Heartland Labor Forum is Kansas City’s only program about the workplace. It’s radio that talks back to the boss! Whether you’re a union member or your workplace isn’t organized, Heartland Labor Forum (HLF) has stories for you, guaranteed to inspire, educate, or enrage you