Mergers, Minimum Wages, and the Making of a General Strike

This week on The Labor Force Podcast, we cover one of the busiest news cycles of the year—from Hollywood power plays to working-class realities on the ground across the country. We start with the massive proposed takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, as Netflix and Paramount battle for control of some of the most iconic brands in film and TV. Lawmakers, guilds, and labor advocates are already sounding the alarm about what this kind of consolidation means for workers, creators, and consumers. Then we turn to the growing divide between federal inaction on the minimum wage and the wave of local and state-led wage increases taking effect on January 1st. With nearly 70 jurisdictions raising their floor, the message is clear: workers aren’t waiting on Congress. In the “fightback” segment, we check in on labor battles across the country: • Starbucks baristas continue the longest strike in company history • National Park workers unionize at unprecedented levels • Hollywood PAs secure unanimous union victories • LEGO Store workers push forward despite aggressive union-busting • And 2,000 nurses at UnityPoint face a nail-biter union vote with hundreds of challenged ballots hanging in the balance From there, we dive into New York’s looming health-care crisis, where federal restrictions threaten to strip coverage or raise costs for nearly half a million residents—undermining a decade of progress and hitting small business owners, gig workers, and legal immigrants especially hard. We also explore whether a general strike in the U.S. is still a dream—or if the conditions that once made it seem impossible are now creating the kind of cross-worker solidarity that could make it real. Finally, with Santa gigs drying up and holiday hiring hitting its lowest point since 2009, we ask: what can the state of seasonal work tell us about the economy heading into the new year? It’s a packed episode about worker power, economic signals, and the ongoing reshaping of labor in America.