Send us Fan Mail What do working people actually want from politics—and who is really representing them? On this episode of Blue Collar News, Montana AFL-CIO Executive Secretary Jason Small sits down with longtime labor educator, author, political economist, and Labor Institute co-founder Les Leopold for a wide-ranging conversation about working-class America, organized labor, economic inequality, and political power. Leopold draws on decades of labor organizing, economic research, and worker education to examine what new survey data reveals about working-class voters, why he believes traditional political labels no longer tell the whole story, and how corporate power and wealthy donors influence American politics. Jason and Leopold also discuss the history and lessons of the Labor Party movement of the 1980s until now, the possibility of building an independent working-class political organization, the role of unions in creating political power, and the challenges of the so-called “spoiler” problem. They explore whether existing political parties can adequately represent working people and what a new independent workers' movement could look like. From billionaires and inequality to unions and political representation, this episode asks a fundamental question: What would it take for working people to build lasting political power of their own? About Les Leopold: Les Leopold is the co-founder and executive director of The Labor Institute, a nonprofit focused on worker education, union activism, and economic and environmental reform. He is the author of Runaway Inequality, How to Make a Million Dollars an Hour, Wall Street's War on Workers, The Man Who Hated Work and Loved Labor, and The Billionaires Have Two Parties, We Need a Party of Our Own. His work combines labor history, political-economic analysis, and decades of organizing experience to examine wealth, corporate power, inequality, and the future of working-class political movements. Support the show
