Surge in Union Growth and a 13-Year Legal Defeat for Worker Rights

The federal government may be swinging the hammer, but workers are building anyway. Jennifer Sherer, deputy director of the Economic Policy Institute's Economic Analysis and Research Network, joins the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss a moment of startling contrasts. Despite a hostile federal environment, approximately 463,000 workers joined unions in 2025. Sherer breaks down how states like Virginia are becoming the new front lines for worker power—banning captive-audience meetings, repealing "right to work" laws and protecting the right to strike when Washington fails to act. But grassroots growth is being met by a "legal ghost" in the courts. In our second segment, labor lawyer Andrew Strom joins us for a post-mortem on the Bobby Reed case. After 13 years of litigation and two victories before the NLRB, the D.C. Circuit Court used a 73-year-old legal doctrine to strip Reed—a 34-year utility veteran—of his federal protections. His "crime"? Testifying before the Texas State Senate about workplace fires without explicitly mentioning a labor dispute. Strom explains how this ruling turns civic participation into a minefield for private-sector workers and why the current Supreme Court makes a rescue unlikely. Featured Guests: Jennifer Sherer: Deputy Director, EARN (Economic Policy Institute) Andrew Strom: Labor Lawyer, Brooklyn Law School professor and OnLabor contributor Inside the Episode: The data behind the 463,000-worker union surge The "Jefferson Standard" and the death of worker free speech Bobby Reed and his 13-year fight for justice