Rank & File Radio

Rank & File Radio

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Labour news and journalism from a critical perspective.

Sep 22

Hot Cargo: Canadian Labour Takes a Stand on Palestine

"Hot cargo" is a labour movement tactic in which union members refuse to handle certain goods, either to avoid undermining an active strike or to protest products linked to exploitation and human rights abuses. The strategy has played a role in several historic campaigns, including international labour actions against apartheid in South Africa and more recently by European unions who are opposed to Israel's actions in Palestine. At the annual convention of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), activists with Labour for Palestine (L4P) secured a significant victory when delegates voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution calling on the CLC to sever ties with the Histadrut, Israel's largest labour federation. But this victory came after opposition from within the leadership ranks of the CLC. In this episode, Hassan Husseini (PSAC negotiator and Labour for Palestine member) and Kevin Levangie (CUPW Atlantic, Labour for Palestine steering committee) unpack the significance of the landmark vote, examine the history of the Histadrut, including its historical links to the Haganah militia and the Israel Defense Forces, and its ongoing discriminatory treatment of Palestinian workers.
Jul 2

Rank & File Season Trailer

After nearly a decade off the air, Rank and File Radio is back. At a time when workers are taking on some of the biggest fights of our generation, we're bringing you stories beyond the headlines and onto the front lines. From working conditions to the future of work itself, we'll take you inside the struggle shaping our jobs, our communities, and the labour movement. This season, hear directly from the workers, organizers, researchers, and activists, the fights, the victories, the setbacks, and what it all means for working people. Rank and File Radio: labour news and analysis for rebuilding trade unions and the worker movement from below. Listen to us wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Drop us a review and visit rankandfile.ca for bonus content and the latest news. Photo (Creative Commons): Crowd gathered outside the Union Bank of Canada building on Main Street during the Winnipeg General Strike Creator(s) / Créateur(s) : Unknown / Inconnu Date(s) : 21 June 1919 / 21 juin 1919 Reference No. / Numéro de référence : MIKAN 3192170, 3623541
Jul 2

Unjust Transition? Coal Workers, Communities and Saskatchewan's Energy Future

What does Saskatchewan's energy future mean for the workers and communities that have powered the province for generations? In this episode of Rank & File Radio, we speak with Ken Hoste, Assistant Business Manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2067, about the high-stakes debate over coal, climate policy, and energy security. As the Saskatchewan government doubles down on extending coal-fired power while the provincial NDP proposes a shift toward natural gas and renewables, Hoste explains what these competing visions mean for coal workers, their families, and communities like Estevan and Coronach. The conversation explores the economic, political, and human dimensions of the province's energy transition, asking whether a truly "just transition" is possible when workers and their unions are left out of the decision-making process. Learn more about our work at rankandfile.ca Photo (Creative Commons): Crowd gathered outside the Union Bank of Canada building on Main Street during the Winnipeg General Strike Creator(s) / Créateur(s) : Unknown / Inconnu Date(s) : 21 June 1919 / 21 juin 1919 Reference No. / Numéro de référence : MIKAN 3192170, 3623541
Jul 2

Saskatchewan Teachers Fight the Right Wing Assault on Trans Kids

In 2023, the Government of Saskatchewan passed Bill 137 which requires parental consent before a child under age 16 can use a different gender-related name or pronoun. The policy also implemented restrictions on who can teach students about sexual health, and mandates that parents and guardians are informed about this curriculum before it is introduced into the classroom. In this episode of Rank & File, we sit down with Nick Day and Alex Schmidt, two Saskatchewan teachers who have publicly opposed Bill 137, and j Skelton, Associate Professor of Queer Studies and Education at the University of Regina, to examine the origins, impacts, and politics of Saskatchewan's controversial parental rights legislation and how policies and laws that undermine the rights of children must be confronted through community mobilization and solidarity. Learn more about our work at rankandfile.ca Photo (Creative Commons): Crowd gathered outside the Union Bank of Canada building on Main Street during the Winnipeg General Strike Creator(s) / Créateur(s) : Unknown / Inconnu Date(s) : 21 June 1919 / 21 juin 1919 Reference No. / Numéro de référence : MIKAN 3192170, 3623541
Jun 17

"It's Not Clear What We're Dealing With": AI and the Public Sector

Tens of thousands of Canadian public sector workers, their jobs and their workplaces could be affected by artificial intelligence. In this episode of Rank and File Radio, we look at the different ways AI is reshaping the public sector workforce. We're joined by John Anderson, a senior researcher at the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) who outlines concerns about lack of consultation and transparency from the federal government around the deployment of AI in the workplace; the absence of an independent AI regulatory body, the risks of AI-driven workplace surveillance and why unions and community organizations must have a seat at the table on the federal government's AI advisory structures. Anderson emphasizes that PIPSC is not opposed to AI, but insists that consultation and transparency must guide its rollout, and warns that proceeding without engaging workers risks deepening inequality, eroding public services, and leaving Canada dangerously behind on regulation compared to other countries. Learn more about our work at rankandfile.ca Photo (Creative Commons): Crowd gathered outside the Union Bank of Canada building on Main Street during the Winnipeg General Strike Creator(s) / Créateur(s) : Unknown / Inconnu Date(s) : 21 June 1919 / 21 juin 1919 Reference No. / Numéro de référence : MIKAN 3192170, 3623541
Jun 17

AI, Academic Labour and the Future of Post-Secondary Education

In this episode of Rank & File Radio, we sit down with David Robinson, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers and Librarians (CAUT) to discuss the growing impact of generative AI on post-secondary institutions across Canada. Drawing on decades of experience in academic labor advocacy, David reflects on how AI fits into a longer history of technological disruption in education and what faculty associations must do now to protect workers. Learn more about our work at rankandfile.ca Photo (Creative Commons): Crowd gathered outside the Union Bank of Canada building on Main Street during the Winnipeg General Strike Creator(s) / Créateur(s) : Unknown / Inconnu Date(s) : 21 June 1919 / 21 juin 1919 Reference No. / Numéro de référence : MIKAN 3192170, 3623541
Jun 17

Unregulated: Canada's AI Policy Vacuum

Why is there a near-total absence of AI regulation in Canada? Why are the same government bodies charged with overseeing AI also in charge of promoting it? And what are the potential impacts AI could have on our workforce, our sovereignty and our climate? In this episode of Rank & File Radio, we're joined by Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood, Senior Researcher and Political Economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). Hadrian helps us unpack some of these issues and we discuss what may be the potential price of progress for being unregulated. Learn more about our work at rankandfile.ca Photo (Creative Commons): Crowd gathered outside the Union Bank of Canada building on Main Street during the Winnipeg General Strike Creator(s) / Créateur(s) : Unknown / Inconnu Date(s) : 21 June 1919 / 21 juin 1919 Reference No. / Numéro de référence : MIKAN 3192170, 3623541
Jun 17

Digital assistant or AI journalists?

What happens when AI use starts creeping into newsrooms? While journalists have already started using AI for peripheral and mundane tasks like transcription and drafting emails, it's slowly but increasingly being used in core journalism work. In this episode of Rank and File Radio, we sit down with Vincent Pasquier, an associate professor at HEC Montréal, who is researching AI's impact on work, labor, and journalism and who recently conducted a survey with roughly 400 journalists about AI use. Pasquier explains that AI's effects on job quality, whether positive or negative, depend not on the technology itself but on how employers choose to deploy it, a point that underscores the importance of union involvement. Vincent also notes that while labor organizations are not anti-technology, AI consistently gets bumped from bargaining agendas in favor of wages and benefits. Vincent explains why job-protection clauses and the preservation of worker autonomy, and technology may be accelerating the early stages of worker mobilization. Learn more about our work at rankandfile.ca Photo (Creative Commons): Crowd gathered outside the Union Bank of Canada building on Main Street during the Winnipeg General Strike Creator(s) / Créateur(s) : Unknown / Inconnu Date(s) : 21 June 1919 / 21 juin 1919 Reference No. / Numéro de référence : MIKAN 3192170, 3623541
Jun 17

Drones, Ghost Stations and Biometric Data: AI and Transport Workers

In this episode of Rank & File Radio, Bruno Dobrusin, a researcher and Just Transition Coordinator with the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) discusses how the scale and speed of AI deployment is unprecedented and how it is reshaping transport work. Everything from AI-driven scheduling and predictive maintenance drones in rail systems, to surveillance of bus drivers and the rise of "ghost stations" with no human staff at all. How is it that workers are generating the data that trains AI systems, often without compensation or consent? Can workers use AI productivity gains to win higher wages and reduce their work weeks? What is a worker-centered standard when it comes to introducing new technology? Learn more about our work at rankandfile.ca Photo (Creative Commons): Crowd gathered outside the Union Bank of Canada building on Main Street during the Winnipeg General Strike Creator(s) / Créateur(s) : Unknown / Inconnu Date(s) : 21 June 1919 / 21 juin 1919 Reference No. / Numéro de référence : MIKAN 3192170, 3623541
Jun 17

"A World of No Worker Power is a Scary World."

Digital systems are quietly quantifying workers' behavior, movements, and productivity in ways you may not even realize. In this episode of Rank & File Radio, we're joined by Dr. Christina Colclough, founder of the Why Not Lab, a consultancy helping workers and unions around the world negotiate collective rights in digitalized workplaces. She discusses why regulation doesn't stifle innovation and practical steps unions can take to protect workers and ensure their data rights aren't violated. We'll also dive into global labour solidarity, and what it means for governments to reduce dependency on a handful of dominant tech corporations, and the political urgency of acting now. Learn more about our work at rankandfile.ca Photo (Creative Commons): Crowd gathered outside the Union Bank of Canada building on Main Street during the Winnipeg General Strike Creator(s) / Créateur(s) : Unknown / Inconnu Date(s) : 21 June 1919 / 21 juin 1919 Reference No. / Numéro de référence : MIKAN 3192170, 3623541
Jun 16

Pathways of Resisting AI

After a decade-long hiatus, Rank and File Radio returns with hosts Doug Nesbitt and Andrew Stevens. To kick off our special series on labour and AI, we've invited Keith Brower Brown to the podcast. Keith is a Labor Center affiliate researcher at UC Berkeley and organizer with Labor Notes and he helps us explore how workers and unions can respond to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence in the workplace. Keith draws parallels to just transition politics in the fossil fuel industry, warns about the danger of AI eroding on-the-job learning and creativity, and argues that without strong, democratic unions pushing back, executives will use AI primarily as a pretext to cut workers, regardless of whether the technology actually does their jobs well. Learn more about our work at rankandfile.ca Photo (Creative Commons): Crowd gathered outside the Union Bank of Canada building on Main Street during the Winnipeg General Strike Creator(s) / Créateur(s) : Unknown / Inconnu Date(s) : 21 June 1919 / 21 juin 1919 Reference No. / Numéro de référence : MIKAN 3192170, 3623541

11 Episodes

Labour news and journalism from a critical perspective.

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Rank & File Radio
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2026
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