Back by popular demand and request, we visit once again with Dr. Leon Adelman with more information and an update on the consideration of unionization in emergency medicine. We chat about some of the movements since our last discussion and hit on some of the nuance that is much more complicated than a simple "go, no-go" decision.

Is there a You in Union? EM Unionization Update with Dr. Leon Adelman

Leslie is joined by Liz Shuler, president of the 60 unions and 12.5 million members of the AFL-CIO, and the first woman leader of America’s labor movement.

The two discuss the Union's 2024 'Death on the Job Report,' the recent UAW win in Tennessee and what it means for the broader Union movement in the South, as well as the Inaugural 'Climate, Equity and Jobs Launch' held by the AFL-CIO on Earth Day this year.

The 2024 'Death on the Job Report' can be read here: https://aflcio.org/press/releases/afl-cio-releases-2024-death-job-report-ahead-workers-memorial-day

A visionary leader and longtime trade unionist, Liz Shuler believes the labor movement is the single most powerful vehicle for progress and that unions are a central force in leading lasting societal transformations. She is committed to busting myths about labor, leveraging the labor movement’s diversity for innovative approaches to social justice and making the benefits of a union voice on the job available to working people everywhere.

The website for the AFL-CIO is http://www.AFLCIO.org and their handle on X is @AFLCIO. Liz's handle is @LizShuler.

AFL-CIO President Talks Worker Safety, Unions Expanding into the South, and Climate Change Policy

In this episode we hear the dicsussion which took place at the recent FSU Triennial Conference in Belfast where a panel made up of Owen Reidy the General Secretary of ICTU, John O Connell the General Sectretary of FSU, Alka Bossinger the Deputy General Secretary of Uni Global and Kelly M. Fay Rodríguez the Special Representative for International Labor Affairs · U.S. Department of State discussed on the issue of Collective Bargaining.

S1 E7 - Collective Bargaining (June 2024)

Leslie is joined by Maria Somma, Organizing Director for the United Steelworkers (USW).

The pair explores why workers still need the PRO Act.

This includes white collar workers, which Maria shares multiple examples of with the audience.
Workers in the South are also eager to exercise their rights, though this is drawing backlash from anti-worker politicians in states like Georgia and Alabama.

The Biden administration has done important work to correct course at the NLRB, and there are pro-worker provisions in recent investments, which are helping smooth the way for workers to have a voice on the job.  This includes extensive new requirements for infrastructure projects to be “made in America” as part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Known as the Build America, Buy America Act (BABAA), this section of the law promises to stimulate American manufacturing and create jobs for American workers by ensuring that a substantial portion of BIL funding is used to purchase U.S.-made products and materials.

However, workers still face an uphill battle when it comes to forming unions.  The solution is to finally pass comprehensive legislation that shores up loopholes in our laws and attaches real, immediate penalties to corporations that violate workers’ rights. 
Leslie and Maria share the legislative solution to these issues, which is the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act).

They detail what the law would do, which is:
- Establish stronger and swifter remedies to stop employers from breaking the law
- Make companies recognize contractors as part of the collective bargaining process so they can no longer continue to whittle down Union membership by subcontracting
- Force an employer to reach a first contract in a timely manner with a newly organized group of workers. (No more dragging out first contracts)
- Reverse so-called 'Right to Work,' regardless of state laws
 - Prohibit employers from forcing employees to attend anti-union meetings
Recent polls show that support for unions is at a fifty-year high, and having Joe Biden, the only sitting President to walk a picket line, in office has helped workers a great deal.  But, it’s time for the law to catch up. 

Maria Somma has been an organizer for her entire career, first as a community organizer, and then as a labor organizer. 
She started with the Steelworkers in 2001 as a healthcare workers organizer, and became Organizing Director in 2015.
The website for the USW is www.USW.org.
Their handle on X and Instagram is @steelworkers. Like them on Facebook by visiting www.Facebook.com/Steelworkers.

The Leslie Marshall Show - 6/21/24 - Workers Need the PRO Act

In this episode from ACEP24 in Las Vegas, we talk about a group of physicians that chose to unionize after they felt all other avenues had been exhausted to address patient safety and workplace concerns. Unions won't be the solution for everyone or every situation, but it may be the only option is certain settings. 

They Left Us No Choice - A Union Story with Dr. Sean Codier

Leslie is joined by Sean O'Brien, General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

They begin the interview by acknowledging the accomplishments that President O'Brien and General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman have helped their Union to achieve during their three years heading the organization.
With 80,000 new members organized, great successes at the negotiating table including many of their best contracts ever like at UPS and Anheuser-Busch, an empowered rank-and-file membership that has waged over 250 strikes and led bargaining themselves against some of the world’s largest employers, the O’Brien-Zuckerman administration has charted one of the most defining and positive chapters in Teamsters history.

Next, Sean shares with the audience the Union's contract campaign with their 10,000 Teamsters aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs). They're fighting for a fair contract with United, who raked in over $4 billion dollars in profits last year, but is lowballing the Teamsters at the bargaining table.
At the same time, the airline wants to outsource maintenance to communist China and South America.
Sean explains how United Airlines Teamsters are ensuring safety in the skies, and that Teamster members will not accept anything less than a strong new contract with the industry-leading wages and job protections they have earned.

Lastly, Leslie and Sean discuss how, following a credible strike threat, more than 1,000 newly organized drivers and warehouse workers at United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) in Florida, Georgia, and Illinois have ratified their first Teamsters contracts.
Represented by Teamsters Locals 26, 79, 728, and 769, UNFI workers have secured agreements that deliver significant wage increases, improved benefits, and a defined benefit pension plan. 

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit www.Teamster.org for more information. Follow them on X and Instagram, where their handle is @Teamsters, and “like” them on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Teamsters.
Sean's handle on X is @TeamsterSOB. 

Teamsters President Talks United Airlines Contract Campaign and First UNFI Agreement

Trump Executive Order Stripping Collective Bargaining Rights is Biggest Attack on Labor in Decades

Leslie is joined by Megan Salrin and Jimmy O'Donnell of the United Steelworkers (USW).

In one of his early acts as president, Donald Trump not only fired National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo but also removed NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox.
Firing Wilcox upended nearly 90 years of Supreme Court caselaw and left the NLRB unable to perform its vital mission of upholding workers’ rights.

During today's episode, Leslie, Megan and Jimmy discuss why workers need a Pro-Labor National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Megan Salrin is the National Coordinator for the United Steelworkers’ Rapid Response program, the union’s nonpartisan initiative for education, communication, and action on legislative and policy issues affecting USW members. Before this role, she served in USW’s Legislative and Policy Department and worked for several Members of Congress from the Midwest.

Jimmy O'Donnell is a Legislative Representative for the USW, where he advocates for pro-worker policies related to labor rights, workplace health and safety, clean energy manufacturing, and workforce development. Previously, Jimmy spent several years working at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

Follow the USW on Facebook, Instagram and X, using the handle @steelworkers, and visit their website at USW.org. Also, check them out on Blue Sky where their handle is @steelworkers.bsky.social.


Leslie Marshall Show -4/29- Why Workers Need a Pro-Labor NLRB

Leslie is joined by Victor Mineros, Proud Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 396, Western Region International Vice President, and Director of the Teamsters Solid Waste and Recycling Division, which represents tens of thousands of sanitation workers across the country.

The two discuss what’s happening in the U.S. sanitation industry, the ongoing strikes at Republic Services, and why this moment matters for working families across the country.

Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow them on X and Instagram, where their handle is @Teamsters, and “like” them on Facebook at Facebook.com/Teamsters.

Leslie Marshall Show - Teamsters Talk State of Sanitation Industry and Ongoing Strikes at Republic Services

Leslie welcomes back Fred Redmond, Secretary-Treasurer of the 63 unions and 15 million members of the AFL-CIO. In 2022, he was unanimously elected to the position as the highest ranking African American officer in the history of America’s labor movement.

Secretary Redmond shares how he and the AFL-CIO just wrapped up their nationwide “It’s Better in a Union: Fighting for Freedom, Fairness and Security” bus tour. While big corporations profit off the backs of working people and politicians continue to raise costs and cut essential lifesaving services, the labor movement traveled the country providing voice to and building power with workers in the lead up to Labor Day.

Mr. Redmond also blasts the new Trump administration's Union-busting executive order, which was issued right before Labor Day.
The new order rips away collective bargaining rights from workers at NASA, the International Trade Association, the NWS, and more.

The website for the AFL-CIO is AFLCIO.org and their handle on Blue Sky is @AFLCIO.org. Their handle on Facebook, Instagram and X is @AFLCIO.  Fred's handle on X is @STRedmond.




AFL-CIO's 'It’s Better in a Union’ Nationwide Bus Tour

ACEP Frontline, hosted by Dr. Ryan Stanton, features in-depth conversations on the hottest topics in emergency medicine and critical care.

The best progressive talk right here, on demand. Always Progressive, Always On!

New tracks tagged #Collective Bargaining