PODCAST · news
Labor Force Podcast
by Mike Struchen
Stories of the working class in a time of renewed labor militancy and awareness that capitalism is a rotten deal. Member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network, home to over 250 radio shows and podcasts from around the world.
Episodes
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Work in 2026: The AI Disruption You Need to Prepare For
AI is reshaping the workplace, threatening jobs, expanding worker surveillance, and raising new questions about inequality. On this episode, we examine how automation could affect millions of jobs, why employers are monitoring remote workers, how AI can reproduce gender bias, and why tech workers...
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They Don't Want You To Organize: The Hidden Power of Unions
Workers are fighting back—and winning. From historic union contracts and nurses recovering stolen wages to faculty wage increases and Amazon delivery drivers organizing for direct employment, this episode examines the growing fight for worker power. Then we look at the struggles: Maine nurses...
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The Economy Is A Lie: Why You Feel Broke
The economy has a public relations problem—or is capitalism failing working people? From rising living costs and declining consumer confidence to Trump’s economic claims, the risks of the AI investment boom, and warnings of another financial crisis, we examine why the economy looks strong on…
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Everything they told you about the economy is WRONG
The U.S. job market is getting harder for workers. Weak job growth, rising unemployment, brutal job searches, AI-driven hiring, and “entry-level” jobs demanding years of experience are exposing an economy increasingly built around employers — not workers. The problem isn't that Americans don't…
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Corporate Control vs. Worker Power: Who Really Runs Your Job?
Workers are fighting back—and they’re proving that solidarity still matters. AutoZone workers make history by unionizing with the UAW. Teamsters refuse to cross a Coca-Cola picket line. Starbucks continues battling its unionized workers in court and at the bargaining table. Meanwhile, nurses are...
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The Truth About the Economy They Won't Tell You
The economy may look fine on paper — but for millions of working people, it doesn’t feel that way. Consumer confidence is falling as Americans struggle with high prices, expensive gas, housing costs and economic insecurity. Meanwhile, wealth continues to pile up in the financial and digital...
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Trump vs. Big Tech: The Fight for the Future of Work
AI isn't just threatening jobs — it's changing who gets the chance to build a career in the first place. Across the economy, entry-level hiring is weakening as companies use AI to perform the "grunt work" traditionally assigned to young workers. Computer science graduates are struggling to find...
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Can Unions Turn Votes Into Real Power?
Labor is pushing back into American politics—but is electoral politics enough to rebuild working-class power? With more union candidates running for Congress, deeper labor organizing taking shape, and the fight to organize Amazon continuing, this segment asks a bigger question: Can workers turn...
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Working full-time but still broke: The real economic crisis
Mortgage rates are back above 7%. Rent is becoming unaffordable even for middle-income families. Poverty among older Americans is rising. Consumer spending is slowing. And in New York, billions of dollars in federal funding for healthcare and SNAP are at risk. Meanwhile, we're still being told…
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The Hidden Cost of Diesel: Why Everything Is Expensive
Diesel prices are hitting record highs — and workers are paying the price. In this segment, we look at how rising diesel costs are driving up food prices, transportation costs, heating bills and inflation, while farmers, truckers and small businesses get squeezed. We also examine the Federal...
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The Labor Market Paradox: Why You Can’t Find a Job Even When Everyone Is Hiring
The labor market is full of contradictions. Employers say they can't find enough workers, yet millions of people are struggling to find jobs. Young workers without college degrees are finding opportunities in some industries while traditional white-collar career paths are becoming less secure. AI...
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The Labor Fight Never Stops: How Workers Are Winning Back Power
Workers are organizing across the economy — from Amazon delivery drivers and Michigan factory workers to Maine nurses, museum employees in Rochester, and UPS Teamsters. But everywhere workers try to build collective power, employers are fighting back. This segment looks at what these organizing...
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The Hidden Cost of Living: Why You Can't Get Ahead
Inflation may be slowing, but that doesn’t mean prices are going back down. In this segment, we look at what years of inflation have actually done to the cost of living—and why workers are still feeling the squeeze. We break down the latest inflation and producer-price data, record diesel prices,...
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AI and the New Labor Movement: What You Need to Know
AI is transforming the workplace—but who gets the benefits? In this segment, we look at the push for a 32-hour workweek, the growing fight over AI in the workplace, and how unions are demanding a voice in how new technology is deployed. We also examine the Democratic Socialists of America’s...
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When the Next Crash Comes, Who Gets Saved?
The economy may look strong on the surface, but underneath are growing warning signs: $40 trillion in government debt, rising borrowing costs, massive AI investment, and financial instability. Who actually pays when the system breaks? Workers don't get bailouts—they get higher bills, lost jobs…
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Who Actually Owns Your Labor? The Truth About the New Economy
The economy is growing, productivity is rising, and corporate profits are flowing—but workers are receiving a smaller share of the wealth they create. This segment examines the rise of the “disposable workforce,” declining worker bargaining power, and the growing disconnect between productivity,...
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Collective Power: The Only Way To Get What You’re Owed
Happy Labor Day 🎙️✊ For one day each year, America celebrates “the American worker.” But what happens when those workers decide they want something more than a cookout? This Labor Day, the numbers tell a fascinating story: Americans overwhelmingly support labor unions—and tens of millions of...
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The Real Reason You Can't Get Hired in 2026
The August jobs report looks pretty damn good, so why does the American labor market still feel so broken? In this segment, we dig beneath the headline numbers and look at the contradictions defining work in 2026. The economy can add jobs while workers remain financially squeezed. Employers can...
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The Economic Hunger Games: Why You're Failing While The Markets Rise
In this segment, we look at the growing disconnect between Wall Street's economic optimism and the reality facing working people—and increasingly, even the upper-middle class. The war with Iran has pushed up oil and energy costs. Mortgage rates are surging again. Meanwhile, the national debt has...
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Why your 'side hustle' isn't economic security
When did economic security become something workers are expected to build entirely on their own? This segment looks at the growing affordability crisis, stubborn inflation, and the increasingly popular idea that workers need to become their own economic safety nets. Then we look at a very…
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The US-Canada Trade War: Why Your Receipt Is About To Get More Expensive
In this segment, we look at the escalating U.S.-Canada trade war and what it could mean for American workers and consumers. The Trump administration has revived a Depression-era trade tool, raising new questions about whether we're repeating some of the mistakes of the past. We look at how…
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Why AI in the workplace is scarier than you think
AI isn't just changing the jobs we do — it's changing the balance of power inside the workplace. In this segment, we look at two developments that are increasingly converging: AI-driven changes to hiring and the rapid expansion of workplace surveillance technology. New research from Goldman Sachs...
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Who Actually Controls Your Job? The Truth They Don't Tell You
What happens when the people who do the work have almost no control over the economic decisions that determine whether their jobs survive? In this segment, we look at a series of labor fights and economic pressures that reveal a common theme: workers are constantly being asked to absorb…
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The REAL Reason Behind Declining Birth Rates (And Why It’s Not Who You Think)
What happens when women become more economically independent—but the expectations of marriage and parenthood don't change? In this segment, we look at the complicated relationship between women's earnings, marriage, family life, and America's declining birth rate. A recent Hill piece examines...
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Why the Middle Class Is Disappearing: The Truth About Our Economy
The economy may still be growing, but for millions of workers, the cost of simply getting by keeps rising. In this segment, we examine the growing affordability crisis from multiple angles: record-high August gas prices, wages struggling to keep pace with inflation, mounting recession warnings,...
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Federal Surveillance and Job Cuts: What’s Happening to Workers?
Workers across the country are fighting back — and the battles are happening on multiple fronts. We start in Minnesota, where union members and activists have faced federal surveillance and indictments connected to protests against ICE. Then we turn to Amazon delivery drivers in New York, where…
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Trump's Economic Legacy: What Really Happened to Your Money?
Trump built his political comeback around a series of big economic promises: lower prices, cheaper gasoline, affordable housing, lower mortgage rates, more manufacturing jobs, a balanced federal budget, and an economy that would “grow like nobody’s ever grown before.” But how much of that has...
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Household Debt Hits $18.8 Trillion: The Reality Behind the Headlines
Americans are working, earning more on paper—and still falling further behind. In this segment, we examine the growing disconnect between the headline economy and the economic reality facing working people. Inflation is once again outpacing wage growth, real wages have fallen for four consecutive...
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Why Workers Would Take A Pay Cut To Keep Their Jobs
In this segment, we connect several stories that reveal a growing contradiction in the American economy. At Cargill's meatpacking facility in Fort Morgan, Colorado, more than 1,700 workers remain locked out as employees fight over a contract and their future at the plant. Meanwhile, Cargill salt...
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Is The U.S. Economy Actually Broken? The New Era Debate
The Trump administration says America has entered a “new kind of economy.” But what does that actually mean for working people? In this segment, we look beyond the political and economic headlines and examine what workers are actually experiencing in 2026. Housing remains painfully out of reach....
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Labor's New Playbook: From VA to Uber
Workers are finding new ways to fight back—and the latest battles show just how much the American labor movement is changing. In this segment, we look at a federal judge blocking the VA for the third time from terminating its union contracts with AFGE, the growing push to unionize Uber and Lyft...
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The Real Reason You Can't Save Money Anymore
The economy may look strong on paper—but for millions of Americans, everyday life is getting harder to afford. From groceries and gas to housing, healthcare, and even dating, rising costs are forcing working people to make increasingly painful choices. Americans are cutting back, working more…
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The AI Paradox: Layoffs, Labor Shortages, and a Startup Boom
AI is changing the workforce—but not in the way most people expected. In this segment, we examine the contradictions of the AI economy. While Silicon Valley celebrates a new "golden age of entrepreneurship," thousands of workers are experiencing a very different reality. AI is making it easier…
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The Working Class Is Organizing Again—At Work and at the Ballot Box
In this segment, the stories may seem unrelated—but together they point to something much bigger. We examine Abdul El-Sayed's upset victory in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, growing signs of working-class politics gaining traction across the Midwest, and what those elections may signal…
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The Career Ladder Is Breaking. Here's What's Replacing It.
The path to the middle class used to seem straightforward: earn a degree, land a stable job, and build a career. But for millions of young Americans, that formula is breaking down. From shrinking hiring opportunities to the rise of YouTube, TikTok, and Substack entrepreneurs, we examine why more...
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Kevin Hassett's Economy: Who's Actually Winning?
Kevin Hassett says the economy is "firing on all cylinders." So why do so many Americans feel like they're falling further behind? In this segment, we examine the disconnect between economic headlines and everyday reality—from inflation, rising mortgage rates, and AI-driven job insecurity to...
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America's Union Boom Just Reached College Sports
From Division I athletes to VA employees, John Deere workers, and refinery operators, this week's labor news makes one thing clear: unions aren't disappearing—they're expanding into every corner of the workforce. In this episode segment, we break down the largest athlete-led unionization effort…
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Lockouts, Strikes & Boycotts: Labor Summer Drives On
Winning the Vote Is Just the Beginning. In this segment, we examine what happens after workers organize—and why winning a union election is often only the first step. In this episode: 🥩 More than 1,700 Teamsters at Cargill in Colorado reach a tentative agreement after a 70-day lockout. ⚓ ILWU...
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Surprise! Americans are losing faith in capitalism
Is capitalism losing America's confidence? New polling shows favorable views of capitalism have plummeted, while most Americans believe the economy is rigged for the wealthy. In this episode, we connect that shift in public opinion to rising grocery prices, soaring housing costs, expensive gas,...
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Corporate Healthcare Is Pushing Workers to Unionize—And It's Working
Union organizing is spreading far beyond factories and warehouses. In this segment, we examine the growing movement among Kaiser Permanente physicians, the Mount Nittany Medical Center strike, Harvard graduate workers' strike threat, Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh employees winning their…
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AI Hype vs. Reality: What's Actually Happening to Work
Will AI replace your job—or simply change it? In this segment, we separate AI hype from reality. We examine why today's AI still struggles with real-world work, the controversy surrounding an AI robot introduced in a New York school district, and why even AI companies admit there's little…
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The Missing Piece in the Wage Debate
When politicians talk about low wages, the debate almost always centers on the hourly rate: $15, $17, or $20 an hour. But there’s a massive side of the equation we rarely talk about: hours. If you make $17/hour at 40 hours a week, you’re making ~$35,000 a year before taxes. Cut those hours in…
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Stuck in a Job You Hate? Here's Why
Millions of Americans feel trapped in jobs they no longer want—and one of the biggest reasons isn't their paycheck. It's their health insurance. In this segment, we examine the growing problem of "job lock," where workers stay in jobs they dislike because losing employer-sponsored health coverage...
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Your Paycheck vs. The Cost of Living | The Gap Is Growing
In this segment, we explore why rising fuel costs don't just mean paying more at the pump—they drive up grocery prices, shipping costs, school supplies, and nearly everything else that depends on diesel-powered supply chains. Drawing on reporting from CNBC, the Associated Press, and The American...
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Productivity Up, Wages Stagnant—The Economic Reality Workers Face
Why does the economy feel great to some Americans and impossible to others? In this segment, we examine the growing divide between investment income and wage income—and why rising productivity no longer guarantees higher pay. Drawing on reporting from The American Prospect and research from the...
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Americans Are Broke Despite What the Headlines Say
In this segment, we explore why millions of Americans still feel financially squeezed even as inflation slows. We break down new polling on the economy, the affordability crisis driving more adults to rely on their parents, Jamie Dimon's remarks on wealth inequality, and the growing mental health...
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The Capitalism Question Nobody's Ignoring Anymore
Is capitalism the problem—or the solution? In this segment, we examine the growing debate inside the American left as democratic socialism gains influence. Drawing on reporting from *The American Prospect*, *The New York Times*, and *City Journal*, we explore why more Americans are questioning…
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Stadium Workers to Tech Employees: Everyone's Replaceable Now
In this segment, we connect three major labor stories shaping today's economy: Why immigrant stadium workers at the 2026 FIFA World Cup say fear of ICE raids overshadowed one of the world's most profitable sporting events. Why more than 4,500 Google employees are demanding stronger job security…
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The Productivity Paradox: AI Boom, Worker Crisis
Is AI making work better—or just making workers more productive for someone else's benefit? This segment examines the latest research on AI's impact on the workplace. We explore why AI-heavy companies are hiring more workers, why productivity is soaring while many employees still struggle, and…
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J.D. Vance Just Revealed What Politicians Really Think About Your Job
Vice President J.D. Vance says millions of white-collar jobs don't create "real value." Michigan lawmakers move to weaken child labor protections. Workers take their campaign against alleged union-busting to The North Face. And new research suggests rebuilding the labor movement could put…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Stories of the working class in a time of renewed labor militancy and awareness that capitalism is a rotten deal. Member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network, home to over 250 radio shows and podcasts from around the world.
HOSTED BY
Mike Struchen
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Labor Force Podcast have?
Labor Force Podcast currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Labor Force Podcast about?
Stories of the working class in a time of renewed labor militancy and awareness that capitalism is a rotten deal. Member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network, home to over 250 radio shows and podcasts from around the world.
How often does Labor Force Podcast release new episodes?
Labor Force Podcast has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Labor Force Podcast?
You can listen to Labor Force Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Labor Force Podcast?
Labor Force Podcast is created and hosted by Mike Struchen.
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