Heartland Labor Forum

KKFI 90.1 FM Kansas City Community Radio
  • 4.9 (9)
  • NEWS COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Heartland Labor Forum

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

  1. APR 8

    How Do We Overcome Internal Division in Unions? and Beneath REI’s Green Sheen: Union Busting, Debt Bondage, and Partnership with Eco-Criminals

    The surest way to defeat a union is to create division within it. Many in management excel at pitting workers against each other, but this week we’ll talk with organizers about how they help workers answer the question: “Which Side Are You On”.  Then, REI stands for Recreational Equipment Inc. and that’s what they sell, but that’s not all. Find out from a recently organized worker from Greensboro about this global union buster and environmental cheat. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month with Mark Galus.

    59 min

  2. MAR 31

    Layoffs at Haskell Indian Nations University: Treaty Violation? And Property Tax Reform: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

    Right after he became President Trump marked another milestone on the trail of broken promises when he cut funding for Haskell Indian Nation’s University in Lawrence, crippling its teaching capacity and leaving students without instruction. We’ll talk to student leader Tara Roanhorse. Then, property taxes too high? The KS legislature failed to place an amendment on the ballot that would cap property valuations.  We’ll talk with Rita Jefferson from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy about responsible ways to control soaring property taxes. Our feature is Safety First with Mary Erio

    1 hr

  3. MAR 27

    Why Has America’s Greatest Labor Progressive: Frank P. Walsh Been Forgotten? and The School District Bond Issue with Dr. Jennifer Collier

    We’ll interview labor historian Jeff Stilley about Kansas City’s greatest labor champion you never heard of -- Frank Walsh, labor lawyer, defender of radicals and visionary for future labor law. Then, are you curious about the Kansas City Public Schools Bond vote? Find out what it will pay for, about test score gains and progress the district is making. We’ll talk to Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Collier.  Our feature is Washington Window with Mark Gruenberg. Links to Jeff Stilley's articles on Frank Walsh: https://marxistsociology.org/2025/02/forgetting-americas-greatest-labor-progressive-frank-p-walsh/#  https://newpol.org/issue_post/assessing-one-of-americas-great-labor-progressives/

    59 min

  4. MAR 18

    Will the Missouri Legislature Undo the Will of the Voters? and Former AFL-CIO Organizing Director Stewart Acuff: Love Is Solidarity in Action

    The MO Legislature is at it again – trying to subvert the will of the people.  This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, we’ll talk to Missouri State Reps. Pattie Mansur and Tiffany Price who oppose reversing the popular will. Then, throughout his career, Stewart Acuff organized union after eventually becoming the organizing director for the AFL-CIO. In retirement he’s written a book of poetry called Love Is Solidarity in Action. He’ll be on the show

    1 hr

  5. MAR 11

    Federal Unions Fight Back

    With President Trump’s dismantling of the federal bureaucracy in full swing, led by Elon Musk's DOGE, federal workers are under siege. But unionized federal workers are fighting back. We'll talk with leaders from the American Federation of Government Employees and the National Treasury Employees Union about their resistance efforts. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month.

    1 hr

  6. FEB 25

    The Workers Strike Back Conference and Julie Greene on Who Built the Panama Canal and Trump's Bullying

    This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we’ll get a report from last weekend’s Workers Strike Back Conference organizing to win a $25 minimum wage and healthcare for all. Then, Trump wants the Panama Canal back claiming it’s our right. Really? We’ll talk to labor historian Julie Greene about the Panama Canal, who owns it, who built it at what cost and Trump’s fantasy. And Bill Clause returns with a commentary on the attack on government workers.

    1 hr

  7. FEB 18

    David Bacon on Domestic Workers Organizing and Nancy MacLean: Behind the Mask of Chivalry: The Making of the Second Ku Klux Klan

    Union organizer and photojournalist David Bacon joins us to discuss cross-border labor solidarity, the fight for immigrant and domestic workers’ rights, and how grassroots organizing is reshaping the future of labor movement. Then, we’ll talk to Nancy MacLean about her new book Behind the Mask of Chivalry on the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan in 1915 to prepare for a war between the races. MacLean looks under their white sheets to reveal who these men really were. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.

    1 hr

  8. FEB 10

    Explaining Tariffs and How They Affect the Working Class and Hidden in Plain Sight: the $8.5 trillion in Untaxed Income of the Rich

    Have Trump’s tariffs got you confused?  How will they affect jobs and prices?   We’ll talk to trade expert Lori Wallach, of Rethink Trade. She’s a 30-year veteran of international and US Congressional trade battles.  Then, with yet another tax break for the rich on the table in Washington DC, we’ll talk with William Rice from Americans for Tax Fairness about the $8.5 trillion in untaxed wealth currently held by the country's ultrarich. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month with Mark Galus.

    1 hr
See All (39)

    Ratings & Reviews

    4.9
    out of 5
    9 Ratings

    About

    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

    Information

    • Creator
      KKFI 90.1 FM Kansas City Community Radio
    • Years Active
      2013 - 2025
    • Episodes
      39
    • Rating
      Clean
    • Copyright
      © KKFI 90.1 FM Kansas City Community Radio
    • Show Website
      Heartland Labor Forum

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