In an opening of 2023 for Cross-Border Talks, Małgorzata Kulbaczewska-Figat comments on the 2022 annual report of the International Trade Union Confederation that revealed a grim reality of workers' right being violated virtually everywhere in the world. In fact, only nine countries were assessed by ITUC as states which really treat right to unionizing and collective bargaining seriously. Elsewhere, labour unionists have been fired from work, persecuted and even killed - like in Colombia or different African states.

International Trade Union Confederation 2022 report: workers rights are violated everywhere

With workers at a premium, some employers are turning to child labor to fill jobs.  Kate McCoy of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Occupational Health and Safety Surveillance Program reminds us of the protections in place to prevent youth and teen exploitation.

Child Labor On The Rise In Wisconsin

Entrevista en Radio Programa. Informacion Es Poder con Miguel Perez y Michelle White en La Grande 1010 (KIQI) Reconocimos a Melitón Ruiz, vice presidente de la asociación de jornaleros, QPD (1/13/23). Presentamos los 5 puntos para protegerte contra el robo de sueldo y presentamos la nueva ley Deferred Action Labor Enforcement que te protege de la deportación si denuncias violacion de derechos laborales, robos de sueldo, etc.

Entrevista en INFORMACION ES PODER

Leslie is joined by Lou Villalvazo, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 630, which has been fighting for working class families for more than 80 years.

They discuss a leaflet action being held on October 17th where more than 50 local unions will be taking part in at Chedraui-owned grocery stores.

Here is some more background on the issue:

· Grupo Comercial Chedraui is a Mexican company that is publicly traded on the Mexican stock exchange. The company has grown significantly and now operates three supermarket chains, and makes the majority of its revenue from the United States.

· Chedraui owns three store banners in the United States with around 375 total locations. The three banners are:
o Smart & Final, which is concentrated in Southern California but also has locations in Nevada and as far east as Phoenix.
o El Super, which is also concentrated in Southern California and has locations in Nevada, Arizona, and as far east as New Mexico and Juarez in Texas.
o Fiesta Mart, which is entirely in Texas. Most of its locations are in either Houston or the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

· Teamsters Local Union 630 won two elections at Smart & Final warehouses in the Los Angeles area just this year. The two groups at the Commerce and Riverside facilities comprise around 700 total workers. After years of suffering from low wages and poor benefits, these workers decided to join the Teamsters union to improve their workplace.

· Yet, on the heels of the election at the Commerce facility, Chedraui announced that it would be consolidating its distribution operations into a single facility in Rancho Cucamonga, right before the union election at the Riverside facility. An internal company announcement distributed to workers stated that when this move takes place, the workers will have to reapply for their jobs and will not be guaranteed jobs at the new facility, regardless of their experience or how long they have worked for the company. The company has not responded to workers’ inquiries regarding the status of their jobs at the new facility and what pay and benefits will be available.

· Local 630 members rallied in August and September to demand fair treatment by Chedraui, with a focus on protecting American jobs and living standards, and bargaining a fair contract.

· To date, the Teamsters have filed seven unfair labor practice charges against Smart & Final and Chedraui, alleging egregious violations of federal labor law, including that the planned facility relocations and termination of all employees are motivated by anti-union discrimination; that the company has interfered with workers’ right to organize by withholding a regularly scheduled cost of living adjustment and blaming it on the Union; and by holding mandatory captive audience meetings where the company CEO promised workers benefits and job security at the new facility in exchange for rejecting the Union.

· The company has been engaging in bad-faith surface bargaining, likely with the intention of running out the bargaining clock and then either attempting to decertify the Teamster bargaining units or withdrawing recognition when it transfers its operations and forces employees to reapply.

· This consumer leaflet action on 10/17 comes ahead of bargaining resuming on 10/18. The Teamsters are calling on consumers to demand that Chedraui respect its US workers, cease its violations of US labor law, honor its employees’ choice to become Teamsters, and bargain a fair contract.

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Visit Teamster.org to learn more and follow them on Twitter @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

Leslie Marshall Show - Teamsters Rally to Protect American Jobs from Mexican-Owned Grocery Chain

Union advocates from across New England gathered at the Massachusetts State House on October 25 to voice their support for a proposed bill that aims to help striking workers. The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 1172, would allow workers on the picket line to collect unemployment benefits if labor negotiations last longer than 30 days.

The Bill’s co-sponsor State Senator Paul Feeney, who represents Bristol and Norfolk counties, said that this law would give workers a powerful tool to level the playing field against businesses when negotiating labor disputes, but opponents say the bill will make it harder for the state to attract new businesses, and with them jobs.

To read the full transcript of this story or learn more about labor movement unfolding across the country, visit https://ralexdurbin.myportfolio.com/jr-495-capstone

Union advocates rally at statehouse to support labor bill

Ultimately, the story of supply chains is a story about people. We spoke with a dozen different supply chain experts from around the world who guided us through the relationships between large corporations and the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that make up their supply chain.

As we wrap up this three-part series, our guests explain what companies stand to gain by working more intentionally and in partnership with small businesses in their supply chains. These partnerships may look different within a single supply chain or specific sector, but many share similar elements. 

The experts we spoke with highlight the best partnership examples from the corporate world in Part 3 of Voices on Supply Chains.

Voices on Supply Chains Episode 3 - The Power Of Partnerships

Labor organizer and Founder of One Fair Wage, Saru Jayaraman, takes us inside one of the fiercest labor struggles to challenge a mighty oligarchy: The food, beverage and restaurant industry. Workers are walking off the job and refusing historically low wages. She says if “we the people” stand with workers as they face this powerful lobby, they can win.

Featuring 
Saru Jayaraman, President of One Fair Wage and Director of the Food Labor Research Center at UC Berkeley, co-founded (after 9/11) the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC), which grew into a national movement of restaurant workers, employers and consumers. Saru has won many prestigious awards for her advocacy and is the author of four books including: One Fair Wage: Ending All Subminimum Pay in America and Bite Back: People Taking on Corporate Food and Winning.

Take This Job and Shove It: The Great Resignation or The Great Revolt? | Saru Jayaraman

If you're not a patron you can get the full episode by visiting patreon.com/workstoppage and support us with $5 a month.

In this episode we go over a ton of classic anti-union talking points and tear them apart. From tired points like "unions are a business" to unions "protecting  lazy workers", in this first episode in the series we focus on the more reactionary arguments against unions. In future episode we will dig down on other misconceptions surrounding unions.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

More info on the show at http://workstoppagepod.com/

OT Ep 77: Anti-Union Talking Points Pt1 PREVIEW

Join Bridging the Gap as we explore social inequality in the Philippines, from the urban-rural divide to labor and education disparities. Through case studies and personal reflections, this episode sheds light on systemic issues and inspires collective action for a more just and equitable society. Tune in to learn, reflect, and be part of the change!

Bridging The Gap

Gold Chains – A raw and unflinching commentary on the greed-fueled world of capitalism, Gold Chains exposes the chains that bind us all to a system where money reigns supreme. With sharp lyrics and a relentless rhythm, the track critiques the power structures that profit off our labor, trapping us in cycles of poverty while the elite grow richer. It's a call to awaken from the transactional world that devalues passion and humanity. As the wealthy stack their fortunes, we’re left questioning: what is freedom when the price of everything is counted in gold?

#GoldChains #CapitalismCritique #MoneyMadMasters #WealthInequality #PowerStructures #Greed #Revolution #CorporateGreed #SocialJustice #AntiEstablishment #RichVsPoor #LaborRights #EconomicInjustice #SocialAwakening #ClassStruggle #CapitalismSucks #WealthDisparity #PoliticalProtest #Freedom #MoneyAndPower #EconomicJustice #RebelMusic #SystemicInequality #RiseUp #NoMoreChains #LaborExploitation

Gold Chains

On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Way Back When" History Podcast, we explore the powerful story of the Amazon Army March of 1921 in Southeast Kansas. Thousands of women — armed not with weapons, but with pots, pans, and unshakable courage — marched to support miners demanding fair working conditions. This occurred on the historic Jefferson Highway.

Featured guests are:
- Phyllis Bitner – Chair, Miners Hall Museum Foundation Board of Trustees. The Miners Hall Museum in Franklin, Kansas is dedicated to preserving and sharing Southeast Kansas coal mining history and its diverse immigrant culture. More: https://www.minershallmuseum.com/

- Linda Knoll – Board Trustee of Miners Hall Museum and one of the founders. She is the playwright of Army of Amazons, the catalyst for the "Solidarity" mural project (1999–2000). Linda’s work has been featured through the Humanities Kansas Speakers Bureau, honored with a Civil Rights Award by the NEA, and even nominated for an Emmy through PBS. More: https://www.amazonarmy.com/

Although this conversation premieres for Labor Day, the story of the Amazon Army is timeless — a reminder of how ordinary women made extraordinary contributions to justice, equality, and workers’ rights.

📖 Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction to the Amazon Army March
02:33 – Historical Context of Franklin and Coal Mining
05:34 – Immigrant Experiences and Community Development
08:40 – Life in the Coal Mining Towns
11:27 – The Role of Women in Labor Movements
14:26 – The March of the Women: A Historical Perspective
16:52 – Conditions of Miners and Their Families
19:51 – Strikes and Labor Rights in the Mining Industry
22:28 – The Impact of Gender on Labor Movements
30:45 – The Hidden History of the Amazon Army
33:54 – Women’s Rights and Social Justice
36:05 – Resilience and the Fight for Rights
37:16 – Moonshining and Economic Struggles
41:51 – Preserving History and Future Projects
48:43 – A Poetic Reflection on Struggles

🎧 This episode is also featured on Big Blend Radio’s "Women Making History," "Jefferson Highway," and "Big Daily Blend" podcast channels: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork

Pots, Pans, and Protest: The Amazon Army of Kansas

The Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature is an award-winning radio and audio series featuring breakthrough solutions for people and planet. The greatest social and scientific innovators of our time celebrate the genius of nature and human ingenuity. The kaleidoscopic scope covers biomimicry, ecological design, social and racial justice, women’s leadership, ecological medicine, indigenous knowledge, spirituality and psychology. It’s leading-edge, hopeful, charismatic, provocative, timely and timeless – like nothing you’ve heard before.

Architects of Eden fuses pulsating beats with provocative lyrics to create a unique blend of cyber-dystopian dance/rap. Our music unveils the dark truths of a world where technology is wielded as a tool of division, surveillance, and control, all while the planet faces devastation at the hands of those in power. Through hard-hitting tracks, we expose the manipulation that keeps humanity complacent, challenging listeners to see beyond the illusions of the digital age.

Far more than just entertainment, our songs are a wake-up call—an urgent demand to unplug from the matrix of consumerism and control. Architects of Eden inspires listeners to take back their agency, resist oppression, and use the same systems designed to suppress them as tools for liberation. With every track, we invite you to question, to resist, and to build a better future on the ruins of a broken world.

"Big Ideas Into Action" is the relaunched podcast from the World Resources Institute, bringing you the big ideas that combat the world's most pressing environmental and developmental challenges. You'll hear the voices of those meeting the challenges on the ground across the globe and find out about the way we're finding the answers and translating them into action. 

We'll be podcasting in series of six to eight at a time, once a week, with occasional special episodes to add our insights and analysis in response to big events. 

The World Resources Institute works around the globe to turn big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We focus on seven urgent global challenges that must be addressed to reduce poverty, grow economies and protect natural systems: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, cities, and the ocean.

Listener-sponsored, volunteer-powered, noncommercial community radio broadcasting to south-central Wisconsin at 89.9 FM and online at wortfm.org via our studios in Madison. 

We provide an outlet for communication, education, free expression, entertainment, training and access for the purpose of sharing music, information, news, and cultural experiences, and strive to give people underrepresented elsewhere in traditional media a voice. 

NOTE: Most of the content posted at this time are news stories or talk shows. 

MUSICIANS:  We NEVER look on our SoundCloud for music submissions, so it's not a very efficient way to contact us. Please go to www.wortfm.org and click on Music --> Music Submissions for our submission info and guidelines. Thanks and we look forward to hearing your music!

Select Big Blend Radio interviews that are featured in the digital, interactive Big Blend Radio & TV Magazine and Parks & Travel Magazine. Hosted by Nancy J. Reid and Lisa D. Smith, mother-daughter travel team and publishers.

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

New tracks tagged #labor rights