Can Unions Live without the National Labor Relations Act? A Roundtable Discussion

Can Unions Live without the National Labor Relations Act? A Roundtable Discussion

Author: KKFI 90.1 FM Kansas City Community Radio October 16, 2025 Duration: 1:00:02
Since 1935, the rules for union organizing and bargaining for most private sector companies have been set by the National Labor Relations Act. Since 1935 corporate America has repeatedly undermined and weakened labor law so that now both Trump and the Supreme Court are poised to kill or paralyze it. We’ll have a roundtable discussion on where we are with labor law and where we can go if unions and workers find ourselves without enforceable rights to organize and bargain. Guests are Peter Olney, former organizing director of the West Coast Longshore Union, Lynn Reinhart, former chief counsel for the AFL-CIO now with the Economic Policy Institute, and Bill Fletcher Jr., author, labor educator and former assistant to the President of the AFL-CIO to weigh in Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.

Drawn from the archives of the long-running radio program, the Heartland Labor Forum podcast brings you direct, unfiltered conversations about work, power, and the fight for dignity on the job. Produced by KKFI 90.1 FM Kansas City Community Radio, this series stands as the city's sole dedicated program focusing entirely on the workplace. It’s a space where workers' voices take center stage, offering perspectives often missing from mainstream news. Each episode digs into the real stories shaping labor in the Heartland and beyond, from local organizing drives and contract battles to national policy debates that impact everyday lives. You’ll hear from union members, organizers, journalists, and workers in non-unionized settings, all sharing experiences that clarify, motivate, and sometimes rightly anger. This isn't theoretical commentary; it's grounded reporting and analysis that speaks directly to the challenges and triumphs of working people. Tune in for a podcast that cuts through the noise, providing essential listening for anyone who earns a paycheck and wants to understand the forces that shape it. The archive is rich with history and immediacy, ensuring every discussion-whether from last week or last year-remains urgently relevant.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Heartland Labor Forum
Podcast Episodes
The New Bus Riders Union and IATSE Local 31 is Staffing the World Cup [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:57
A member of the new KC Bus Riders Union says, “We want to show that the buses can serve everyone, not just people who rely on them as a lifeline to get to work.” This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we’ll find out more…
Celebrating 50 Years of Free Agency in Baseball [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:09
It’s baseball season, and it’s the 50th anniversary of free agency. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, we’ll look at one of the most successful unions in American labor history – the Major League Baseball Players As…
Singing No Kings and Hunger Is a Union Issue [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:07
The KC Indivisible Social Justice Chorus will raise their voices in song in a preview of their appearance at the Mill Creek NO Kings rally next Saturday. Then, six of every ten food workers in Great Britain make wages th…
Jeff City Misery – A Legislative Update [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:25
This year’s legislative session may leave working people in a state of Misery, their rights assaulted, with fewer public services and less funding for public schools, and their pockets fleeced as the legislature substitu…
Whose Got the Power? By Dave Kamper and Parents for KC Kids [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:04
PLEDGE DRIVE! – PLEDGE DRIVE! – PLEDGE DRIVE! Organizer and historian Dave Kamper gives an overview of the recent labor upsurge in his new book Whose Got the Power? Then Missouri legislators are shaping the future of edu…