Despite government stating that temporary migrant workers have the same minimum work rights as all other workers in Aotearoa, the conditions of their visas minimise these rights by rendering them dependent on particular employers, opening them up to greater incidences of exploitation. Guests Anu Kaloti (Migrant Workers Association) and Frances Collins (University of Auckland) discuss the issues facing temporary migrant workers, and what is being done to support them. 

2025-04-23 Temporary migrants

On Friday, April 25, thousands of labor activists, including USW members, marched and chanted through the streets of Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, as part of an annual event commemorating the murders of two Los Mineros union members who were killed while on strike in 2006. In today’s episode, we recount the mine explosion and consequential strike that led Los Mineros President Napoleon Gomez to live in exile for nearly a decade in Canada. We’re also chatting with members who attended this year’s trip to Mexico, as well as a USW activist who participated in a recent global youth exchange program co-hosted by the Steelworkers and Los Mineros. This episode features music by several artists, including Ketsa, Lobo Loco, and Greg Kirkelie.

USW and Los Mineros Unite in Mexico

Solidarity 743, 14 May 2025. Articles:


    We need care workers, not Starmer's demagogy
    Trump’s road to economic chaos and autocracy
    Peace! Two states and equal rights!
    “Change is needed, and possible”
    The mask slips on Putin and Ukraine
    Turkish union’s whole leadership arrested
    Step up fight on benefit cuts!
    Iran: against war, against nuclear weapons
    Unions can push back for trans rights
    Open borders! Migrant and local workers’ unity
    Another version of Collective?
    Finland, the labour movement and women's rights
    Feminism, capitalism, and alienation
    The case for open borders
    International conference on 16-18 May
    Big vehicle-workers’ strike in China
    GMB takes Amazon to court
    Against war over Kashmir
    The cavalry at Lifford Lane
    Why is this the court’s problem?
    Setback in PCS election
    Disney’s Bambi and the original
    Letter: Who torched the Reichstag?
    Stop cuts in NHS!
    Vindictiveness at University of East Anglia
    Universities continue cuts

More online: https://workersliberty.org/publications/solidarity/solidarity-743-14-may-2025

743 — Israel out of Gaza and the West Bank | For two states and equal rights |

Sociologist Cedric de Leon joins us to discuss his new book, "Freedom Train: Black Politics and the Story of Interracial Labor Solidarity" from University of California Press. "The Moment of Truth" with Jeff Dorchen follows the interview.

Check out Cedric's book here: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/freedom-train/paper

Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell

Interracial Labor Solidarity in the United States / Cedric de Leon

Make it Last

Leslie is joined by Liz Shuler, President of the 63 unions and over 15 million members of the AFL-CIO, and the first woman leader of America’s labor movement.

The pair discusses the Supreme Court ruling upholding Trump's firings of the National Labor Relations Board and Merit Systems Protection Board members, the draconian House budget bill, and the field hearings the Union conducted through the 'Department of People Who Work for a Living,' which they released a report on last week.

The website for the AFL-CIO is www.AFLCIO.org and their BlueSky handle is @aflcio.org. Liz's handle is @lizshuler.bsky.social.

AFL-CIO President on SCOTUS NRLB Ruling, House Budget Bill and DOGE

While Meriter Nurses celebrate their contract victory, health care workers at Group Health Cooperative are still struggling to gain union recognition.  We’ll talk with SEIU Wisconsin President Pat Raes and GHC Physician’s Assistant Marcia Bolles.

GHC Workers Still Struggling to Gain Union Recognition

Leslie is joined by Scott Paul, President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), a partnership established by some of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers union.

The two discuss:

1. The Wall Street Journal recently documented the stark disparity between China and America’s military-industrial strength in a series of graphs. The results are downright alarming, especially as geopolitical tensions flare. The data illustrate the urgent need for the United States to take action to revitalize our domestic shipbuilding industry. 

2. With tariffs coming into force,  Made in the USA marketing is surging. U.S. consumers are rejiggering their purchasing habits, as evidenced by a boom in “Made in USA” searches on e-commerce sites, and companies are more than happy to tout their “Made in USA” commitments. (From Modern Retail: “Amazon searches for the phrase shot up to 126,000 from 26,000 in the past 30 days — nearly five times the previous period.”)  

3. The state of our infrastructure and energy grid is dire. It’s a crisis that creates another obstacle to U.S. manufacturing’s renaissance and America’s competitiveness.

4. This time, the China Shock is global in nature. Beijing is flooding the world’s markets with its industrial overcapacity across all categories, and job losses and bankruptcies are trailing the imports.
 
WEBSITE: AmericanManufacturing.org

YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@AmericanMfg (where you can watch episode's of AAM's podcast, "The Manufacturing Report")

(If you want to listen to episodes of "The Manufacturing Report," visit AmericanManufacturing.org/Podcast)

X: 1. AAM - @KeepItMadeInUSA  2. Scott Paul - @ScottPaulAAM

BlueSky: @keepitmadeinusa.bsky.social


China Surpassing U.S. Military-Industrial Might? 'Made In USA' Marketing Surges; American Infrastructure Crisis

Over the past several weeks, I’ve seen multiple posts and comments on LinkedIn about the horrors of practicing as a cog in the wheel of Big Medicine, employment schemes facetiously referred to as “medical groups” by their health system or insurance company owners.

On Strike. Physician Unionization and the Further Commoditization of Medical Practice.

John Stevens has been a member of USW Local 341 in Newark, Ohio, for six years and works at an aluminum factory. On Thurs., June 5, he and fellow union members walked the halls of Congress to remind lawmakers about the promise the government made to veterans like him.&nbsp; This fight to preserve benefits and services for America’s defenders is personal to John in many ways. He lost his older brother, also a military veteran, to suicide in 2017. Hear John’s story and learn about some of the legislation that could help prevent similar losses and other hardships for U.S. veterans in the latest episode of Solidarity Works. Music in this episode is by Mr Smith. Special shout-out to Dropkick Murphys. Learn more about Veterans of Steel at .&nbsp; &nbsp;

Defending Our Defenders: Union Veterans Demand Action in D.C.

Workers’ Liberty fights for socialist revolution, for the labour movement to militantly assert working class interests. Follow us! Find out more, and get involved at https://workersliberty.org • fb.me/workersliberty • twitter.com/workersliberty

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New tracks tagged #unions