Union Talk

Latest Episodes:

World Pride Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

AFT President Randi Weingarten sits down with Los Angeles educator and United Teachers Los Angeles member Skye Tooley, as well as student activists Rehman Hassan, Ray Loux and Erica McPheeters for a special live episode of Union Talk during World Pride in Washington, D.C. World Pride comes at a time of growing attacks against LGBTQIA+ people, and this discussion focuses on speaking out, staying engaged, and advancing basic humanity for all across generations. Pride is a time of both activism and celebration, and the panelists discuss how to keep the joy through this ongoing fight for freedoms and rights, as joy itself is an act of spiritual and political resistance.

Higher Education Under Attack Apr 23, 2025

Show notes

President Trump has declared war on America's colleges and universities. The administration has launched investigations into dozens of colleges and universities and stripped billions in research grants from schools. The administration is disappearing students who are in the U.S. legally for exercising their First Amendment rights. Three professors and union leaders join AFT President Randi Weingarten to provide a view from the frontlines of Trump's war on knowledge and discuss how we can fight back.

Economic Opportunity or Destruction? Mar 25, 2025

Show notes

We're talking economics on this episode of Union Talk, but you won't need a Ph.D. to join the conversation. This episode focuses on how the economic policies of President Trump and Elon Musk hurt working and middle-class Americans—many of the same people who voted for Trump hoping he would help reduce costs and help working people achieve a better life. Economic expert Damon Silvers joins to set the baseline for the damage Trump and Musk are doing, and teachers Greg Cruey and Ternesha Burroughs share what their communities in Minnesota and West Virginia are experiencing. The group also discusses the labor movement's role in moving an agenda for broad-based opportunity and ensuring working people and their children have a shot at the American dream.

Wrecking Ball: Teachers on the Devastating Impact Trump's Education Cuts Will Have on Kids Feb 27, 2025

Show notes

Direct from the classroom, four teachers join AFT President Randi Weingarten to talk about the devasting impact that President Trump's and Elon Musk's education cuts will have on their students and communities. From ripping away services for special education students and supports for impoverished kids to robbing working-class students of Pell Grants and the chance to go to college, social studies teachers Heather Stambaugh and Rodney Fresh and special education teachers Marsena Toney and Jennifer Graves give a firsthand account of how these cuts will hurt kids. They also discuss ways they are standing up to protect kids and preview actions happening across the country on March 4 to stop these cuts.

On Strike: Oregon Healthcare Professionals Stand Up for Better Care Conditions Jan 17, 2025

Show notes

5,000 nurses, physicians and other medical professionals are on strike in Oregon, the largest healthcare strike in the state's history. After a day on the strike line, Dr. Lesley Liu and Rebekah Van Dyke, RN, join AFT President Randi Weingarten to share why they're on strike and how they're standing up for their patients, their profession and a fix to a healthcare system that puts profits before patients and caregivers.

Union Talk: Finding Common Ground Dec 18, 2024

Show notes

AFT President Randi Weingarten sits down with two union members — one who voted for Harris and one who voted for Trump – to discuss not only what the November election meant to them, but how we can all find common ground within our union to fight for workers across America.

The Power and Future of Unions with Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su Nov 18, 2024

Show notes

AFT President Randi Weingarten goes one-on-one with Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su to discuss the transformative power of labor, the recent rise of labor unions and how we can secure a better future for our kids by connecting education and industry in exciting ways.

2024 Election Ground Game Nov 04, 2024

Show notes

AFT President Randi Weingarten invites election canvassers and organizers to discuss the importance of talking face-to-face to get out the vote during the crucial last few days of election season. Her guests are Labor Council for Latin American Advancement Westchester Chapter President Maria Kercado, Yolanda King from the Detroit Federation of Teachers, Ashanti Wood from For Our Future and Kate Sundeen from the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

The Very Real Dangers of Trump's Project 2025 Oct 29, 2024

Show notes

AFT President Randi Weingarten sits down with Joe Radosevich, vice president of campaigns and outreach at the Center for American Progress, for a searing episode about how Donald Trump's Project 2025 would decimate public education, our healthcare system, labor unions and our systems of justice—and how we can fight back.

Keep Marching, Progress is Possible Sep 30, 2024

Show notes

Join the AFT Votes campaign during the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference for a political town hall and special live recording of the Union Talk podcast – discussing the modern rise of unionism and pro-labor values, the power of collective action and solidarity between workers, parents, students, and community, and the path to a progressive agenda with real solutions from the workplace to our communities to the polls.

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