The Heartland Labor Forum is Kansas City’s only program about the workplace. It’s radio that talks back to the boss! Whether you’re a union member or your workplace isn’t organized, Heartland Labor Forum (HLF) has stories for you, guaranteed to inspire, educate, or enrage you. HLF is produced by a diverse group of working people. We have been agitating for the rights of working people on the KKFI airwaves since 1989.
Find out about labor struggles and strikes, organizing in Kansas City, global sweatshops, and how the economy is working from the point of view of working people. Listen to our monthly features: Know Your Rights, Safety First, Remember Our Struggle, and Washington Window on Workers. Heartland Labor Forum has won the International Labor Communications Association first prize for radio several times. We are members of the Labor Radio Podcast Network #laborradiopod. Other media have plenty of business news of, by, and for the 1%; HLF is for the rest of us.
Find our schedule of upcoming shows and our archive at www.heartlandlaborforum.org.
Feature Editors
- Michael Amash does Know Your Rights once a month. He is with the Blake & Uhlig labor law firm.
- Mark Gruenberg is on once a month with Washington Window on Workers. He is a full-time labor journalist with PAI-Press Associates Inc. which provides news to unions and labor publications.
- Mark Galus does Labor Song of the Month when there is a fifth Thursday.
- Ariana Eakle does Remember Our Struggle about labor history.
Upcoming Episodes
December 5, 2024 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast
What Can We Learn from the Great Depression? and IRIS Workers Organizing
In the 1930s, American workers organized during the Great Depression, prompting government response. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, historian Dana Frank discusses her book, What Can We Learn from the Great Depression? We'll also explore current organizing efforts by IRIS workers in Kansas City facing long hours and low pay.
Read MoreNovember 28, 2024 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast
Thanks for the Labor Music
Workers have been singing while working and singing about working since antiquity. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, we give thanks for labor and work songs that they’ve written. Work songs alleviate boredom and synchronize the work. We’ll hear classics from Billy Bragg, Joe Glazer, and Anne Feeney, as well as some more obscure folk and punk tracks. Tune in at 6pm Thursday with full stomachs and listen while you work washing dishes or cleaning up.
ListenNovember 21, 2024 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast
Missouri Initiative Debrief on Amendment 3 and Prop A and The Right to Read Coalition
We’ll look at two ballot measures that won: Prop A will increase the Missouri minimum wage to $15 and mandate paid sick leave for most workers and Amendment 3 removes Missouri’s almost total ban on abortion. We’ll talk to the chief strategists of both campaigns Rachel Sweet and Richard Von Glahn, and ask what lessons we can learn from the vote. Then, libraries and librarians are fighting book bans, and the Right to Read Coalition is ready to help! Find out who they are. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.
ListenNovember 14, 2024 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast
Where Does the Labor Movement Go from Here? and Labor Leader Series: CWA Local 6327’s Tanya Holmes
A year after Rand Wilson and Pete Olney discussed a potential "labor movement moment," we’ll revisit their insights on this year's triumphs and upcoming challenges. We'll also speak with Tanya Holmes, President of Communications Workers local 6327, about representing call center and retail workers. Our feature is Remember Our Struggle with Ariana Eakle.
ListenNovember 7, 2024 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast
Teresa Ghilarducci: Is Your Employer Selling Off Your Pension? and HELU, Higher Education Labor United
Pension expert Teresa Ghilarducci joins the Heartland Labor Forum to discuss corporations selling workers' pension plans. Meanwhile, unions form HELU - Higher Education Labor United to fight for affordable higher education and education for democracy. Feature is Safety First.
ListenOctober 31, 2024 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast
Two Books Perfect for Halloween: Not All Fun and Games and Building Power, Breaking Power
This Halloween, we explore two chilling books: "Not All Fun and Games," revealing the exploitative North American video game industry, and "Building Power, Breaking Power," detailing how disaster capitalists reshaped New Orleans' education post-Katrina, dismantling a strong union. Join us for a dose of Halloween horror!
ListenOctober 24, 2024 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast
News Guild Leader John Schleuss Challenging Lords of a Dying Industry and Union Leader Series: Firefighters 781’s Mike Veit
Do you still read the paper? Is it even made of paper? Is the newspaper industry changing or dying? We’ll see what Jon Schluess, President of the CWA News Guild has to say about that and how the Guild protects its journalist members. Then, kids dream of being firefighters. They watch passing firetrucks in awe. We’ll find out what firefighters and their unions do with Michael Veit, President of IAFF 781 in Independence.
ListenOctober 17, 2024 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast
Three Hot Missouri House Races
We’ll explore the race for control of the Missouri legislature, potentially marking a shift away from a super-majority party. We’ve invited candidates from House districts 16, 17, and 34 to discuss their plans for Missouri upon election.
ListenOctober 10, 2024 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast
Two Hot State Senate Races and Is Biden the Most Pro-Labor Prez?
We’ll look at a couple of Missouri Senate races that are up for grabs. They’re the 11th District in Independence and the 17th in Clay County. Candidates will get the HLF litmus test on labor issues. Then politicians and pundits alike have called Joe Biden the most pro-labor president in American history, but is that fact or fiction? We’ll explore the subject with Les Leopold, author, labor educator, and executive director of The Labor Institute. Our feature is Remember Our Struggle with Ariana Eakle.
ListenOctober 3, 2024 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast
Stephanie L. Canizales, Without Parents Or Papers: Unaccompanied Migrant Youth Coming of Age in the United States and Hot Kansas Legislative Races
Coming of age is challenging for undocumented youth seeking work. Dr. Stephanie Canizales, author of "Sin Padres, Ni Papeles," will discuss unaccompanied minors' experiences. Additionally, our first election show covers the Kansas 10th Senate district, where Andrew Mall opposes Sen. Mike Thompson, and Eli Woody challenges Rep. Mike Thompson for the 33rd House District.
ListenSeptember 26, 2024 Local, News & Public Affairs, Podcast
On The Clock; What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane and Leadville Colorado: Labor History at 10,000 Feet
Does work make you feel productive? For many in the working class, jobs can feel frustrating and alienating. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, we’ll discuss these issues with Emily Guendelsberger, author of On the Clock. Plus, we’ll explore Leadville, Colorado's labor history with Dr. James Walsh.
Listen