Power At Work

The Burnes Center for Social Change

Sustained and effective worker power arises out of collective action. Our goal at Power At Work is to advance actions that build power to confront power — contributing to a discourse in the United States that puts workers at the center of the conversation.

  1. 11/18/2025

    Power at Work Blogcast #111: Workers in the Boardroom with David Foster and Lenore Palladino

    In this blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by David Foster and Lenore Palladino to discuss how workers can build real power at the very top of the corporations that shape our lives. In this episode, Seth, Lenore, and David dig into the arguments for and against worker representation on corporate boards and how board representation compares to and comports with traditional forms of worker power like strikes and collective bargaining. They also explore the limitations of the current mechanisms for providing workers with board seats and policy reforms that could strengthen how workers are represented in the boardroom. Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1tdZ4QF... Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Listen on Overcast Connect with Power At Work: Website: poweratwork.us TikTok: @poweratworkblog Instagram: @poweratworkblog Twitter/X: @poweratworkblog Facebook: poweratworkblog LinkedIn: power-at-work David Foster is a member of the Board of Directors of Kaiser Aluminum and the Board of Directors of steel producer EVRAZ North America. David previously served as Director of United Steelworkers District #11, a 13-state region based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Lenore Palladino is an economist, lawyer, and Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her research centers on the political economy of corporations and finance.

    1h 3m
  2. 11/03/2025

    Power At Work Blogcast #110: How Workers Win - Thousands of Child Care Providers Win a New Contract

    In this blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Miren Algorri and Johanna Hester to discuss the recent important contract victory for more than 60,000 child care workers in California. Watch now to learn more about the lives of child care workers and how the right to organize and bargain collectively has shaped child care provision in California. Seth, Miren, and Johanna will discuss how these workers won this latest contract victory, how organizing and bargaining in California’s child care industry uses a different model than the private-sector model overseen by the federal National Labor Relations Board, and how that model might inform union organizing in the future.  Connect with Power At Work: Website: poweratwork.us TikTok: @poweratworkblog Instagram: @poweratworkblog Twitter/X: @poweratworkblog Facebook: poweratworkblog LinkedIn: power-at-work Johanna Puno Hester is the assistant executive director of UDW/AFSCME Local 3930. She continues her community organizing through the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), the first and only national organization of Asian Pacific American union members to advance worker, immigrant and civil rights. Miren Algorri is a dedicated Early Childhood Educator with over 30 years of experience in the field and owner of Little Blossoms Family Childcare, providing bilingual early childhood services to families in San Diego, California.

    1h 3m

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Sustained and effective worker power arises out of collective action. Our goal at Power At Work is to advance actions that build power to confront power — contributing to a discourse in the United States that puts workers at the center of the conversation.