On the Line

On the Line interviewed Nathalie Hrizi, VP of Substitutes of the United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) and a core leader of UESF's 4 day strike. We sat down with Nathalie at the conclusion of the strike to discuss how they won on all of their core demands and how their union and city were transformed by the experience. Their fight is part of the statewide "We Can't Wait" campaign which Nathalie plays a central role in leading across the state.

On the Line interviewed Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Fight Attendants (AFA-CWA). As one of the leading progressive labor voices in the country, Sara has pushed the labor movement to respond to the attacks by the Trump administration on the working class during his first administration and again today. Sara spoke to us about what she has learned from nearly three decades in the labor movement and what she sees as our path forward today.

On the Line interviewed Chris Dols, Co-Executive Director of the Federal Unionists Network (FUN). As Trump pursues the billionaire agenda laid out in Project 2025 to dismantle the federal government, FUN is at the forefront of organizing the federal workforce to stop them. Chris spoke to us about the importance of federal workers raising the alarm about threats to crucial government services, and what they are doing to fight back.

In a time of growing monopoly power and inequality, UFCW Local 3000 has organized militant fights against the biggest corporate giants in grocery and healthcare. Faye Guenther, the President of Local 3000 based in Washington and parts of Idaho and Oregon, has built the union to be a fierce fighting force in the region. Nationally, Faye has been a key leader in coalescing the labor movement to take a stand for a ceasefire in Gaza and support for the immigrant rights struggle. On the Line interviewed Faye about their battles against monopolies in grocery and her vision for national union organizing to resist the billionaire agenda.

The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has recently ratified a powerful contract with the aim of lifting up students. They have built a force field to stop the attacks from the federal government from hitting Chicago's schools, educators, and students. On the Line interviewed CTU President Stacy Davis Gates about what they won, the campaign to win it, and what lies ahead to fight the billionaire agenda. We spoke with Stacy on May Day in Chicago where the union has called for and led a national day of action to mobilize all working people against the war on the working class.

On the Line interviewed Jimmy Williams Jr, the General President of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT). In this moment of political upheaval and attacks on the working class, Jimmy has been outspoken about the need to organize and fight back to defend our immigrant communities, to defend free speech, and to defend the labor movement. The political leadership of the Democratic party has failed to build any real resistance. The labor movement must step up to lead working class resistance to the billionaire agenda.

California educators have recently launched the We Can't Wait campaign, a statewide coordinated effort by educator unions covering nearly 80k educators and over one million students, making it the largest educator campaign in the country's history. Despite CA having the largest economy in the country, the state ranks 33rd for per pupil education spending. Educator unions are demanding their city, state, and federal government provide the resources needed for a quality public education system. On the Line interviewed Cassondra Curiel, President of United Educators of San Francisco, and Nathalie Hrizi, the VP of Substitutes of UESF. Both are leaders in the statewide campaign and spoke to us about how UESF and educators across the state are preparing to stand up for public education and fight for what their colleagues and students deserve.

Gene Bruskin, a long-time union organizer and anti-war activist joins our producer Jeff Rosenberg for part 2 of our interview, to share power stories of his experience building the anti-war movement within the labor movement. Gene was a founding member of U.S. Labor Against the War, an organization formed in the early 2000's to build mass opposition from unions against the war in Iraq. He worked with Iraqi trade unionists to tour the U.S. and culminated in the first ever AFL-CIO resolution against an active U.S. war. More recently, Gene helped to found the Labor Network for Ceasefire, which would grow to a majority of the labor movement standing against the U.S. backed and funded genocide in Gaza. Listen in to hear his lessons from these experiences and outlook on how workers can fight for justice on the job and for a pro-worker foreign policy.

Gene Bruskin, a long-time union organizer and anti-war activist sits down with our producer Jeff Rosenberg to share the powerful stories of immigrant workers organizing for justice on the job and in their communities. Gene Bruskin was the Campaign Director of Justice @ Smithfield, an effort to organize the over 5,000 workers who were employed at the largest pork processing plant in the world. We talk with Gene specifically about the historic victory at Smithfield Foods in North Carolina and what could be considered his precursor: helping the largely immigrant Harvard laundry workers form their union in the 1980s. As the attacks on immigrant workers ramp up, we must shine a light on the stories that can serve as inspiration for a broad fight-back. This is the first part of a two-part series with Gene Bruskin.

From exorbitant CEO pay to three different strikes — UNITE HERE hotel workers, SAG-AFTRA video game workers, and CWA AT&T workers — in this episode of On the Line, we got everything you need to know from the labor movement this past August.

In this episode of On the Line we discuss pro-corporate courts rolling back our labor rights, the trumped up investigation into the UAW by their federal monitor, the new Disneyland contract, Boeing workers' and Bridgham and Women's nurses' strike authorization votes, and the historic letter published by 7 national unions calling on Biden to cut all U.S. aid to Israel.

In this episode of On the Line we break down Project 2025 and what its impact could mean for the labor movement beyond November.

20 years ago, over 5,000 Smithfield Foods workers in Tar Heel, NC who work at the largest hog processing plant in the world won their union. At the time, it was the most significant union victory in the private sector in over a decade. How'd they do it? In this episode of On the Line, we're joined by Gene Bruskin, Campaign Director for the Justice for Smithfield Campaign to break down the organizing method these 5,000 workers used.

Unions are winning at a higher rate than they have in 15 years. In June, we saw the largest public sector union victory in 25 years and Waffle House workers won a $3/hour raise which amounts to an over 200% increase for many workers! But the bosses are on the move in the courts to roll back democratic rights and are trying to take us back to the 1930s. What does this mean for us? In this episode of On the Line, we go through a quick review of the labor struggles in June, including union wins and crimes of big business!

In this episode, we're On the Line with Taher Dahleh, member of CWA local 1109 and organizer with PYM, and Yajaira Cuapio, School Social Worker in SFUSD and Executive Board Rep for UESF to discuss the connection between Palestine organizing and the workplace struggle

In this episode of On the Line, we go through a quick review of labor struggles in May, featuring updates on the historic academic strike of UAW 4811 workers, a bargaining breakthrough with Starbucks Workers United, and a massive union victory at Disneyland

In this episode, we're On the Line with Naomi Harris, Waffle House worker and founding member of USSW, and Quichelle Liggins, 13 year Hyundai worker in Alabama. We had the opportunity to interview Naomi and Quichelle at the Labor Notes 2024 conference, discussing how southern workers are fighting back from the service industry to auto.

In this episode we're On the Line with UAW 4811 members and leaders in the UC system to discuss the first authorized pro-Palestine strike. We're joined by Rafa Jaime, President of UAW 4811 and Academic Student Employee in the English department at UCLA, Anny Viloria Winnett, Graduate Student Researcher and ASE Unit Chair for UAW 4811 in Los Angeles, and Mohammed Alyaseen, Academic Student Employee at UCSD and UAW 4811 member.

In this episode we're On the Line with Katie Giede, a 10 year Waffle House worker with USSW in Atlanta to discuss the recent Waffle House strike and why she walked off the job for a better future for her family.

In this episode, we're On the Line with Kurt Petersen, Co-President of UNITE HERE Local 11 to discuss the innovative strike tactics of thousands of LA hotel workers and the victories they have secured thus far.

In this episode of On the Line, we're joined by Brandon Mancilla, UAW Region 9A Director, to discuss UAW's massive campaign to organize non-union auto plants in the South. We also discuss internationalism in the working-class movement, from Mexico to Palestine.

In this episode, we're On the Line with Mike Miller, the Director of Region 6 for the United Auto Workers (UAW)! We discuss the origins of academic worker organizing in the University of California system and its connection to the student movement opposing the first U.S. invasion of Iraq.

In this episode, we're On the Line with City University of New York (CUNY) Professor Ruth Milkman, chair of the Labor Studies Department and author of dozens of books with a focus on women in the labor movement. We talk about the unique issues women have faced throughout history and their critical role in coming together to fight back!

In this episode, we're On the Line with Rhianna Shaheen, an organizer and member of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees Local 871 in Los Angeles, to discuss the upcoming contract fight for behind the scenes Hollywood workers off the heels of the actor and writer's strikes. We also discuss how to tackle the age-old response in workplace organizing: "I support, but I just don't have time."

In this episode, we're On the Line with Delta flight attendant and organizing committee member, Michael Bearman, to discuss the flight attendant union drive at Delta, the only major airline without unionized flight attendants. We also discuss the history of flight attendant organizing and the array of issues flight attendants face on the job.

In this episode, we're On the Line with Union of Southern Service Workers worker leader and 20 year Waffle House employee, Shae Parker, to hear about how Southern service workers are fighting back! We're also joined by Parul Koul, president of Alphabet Workers Union, to talk about the recent wave of Google layoffs despite record profits for the corporation.

In this episode, we're On the Line with prominent labor historian, Roger Keeran, to talk about UAW organizing then and now. We also talk sports unions and why college athletes need to get paid what they deserve!

Young people approve of unions in record numbers. In this episode, we break down the reason why. We're also on the line with Richard Hooker, Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 623, as we look back at some of the biggest fights in 2023 and discuss what's to come in 2024.

In this episode, we're on the line with Nathalie Hrizi, VP of substitutes with United Educators of San Francisco and Desmond Fonseca, graduate student researcher and teaching assistant in the history department at UCLA and member of UAW 2865.