Working People

From the explosion of AI data centers to the increasing number of toxic spills, explosions, and industrial disasters happening across the country, corporations and the government are turning the USA into one giant "sacrifice zone." In "red" states and "blue" states, in rural areas and urban areas, poor and working people are suffering the toxic effects of a crisis that has resulted from decades of deregulation, corporate-capture of government, and the protection of private profits over the lives and health of the public. No one is coming to save us, and nothing is going to change unless residents of different sacrifice zones and poisoned communities, workers and unions on the frontlines of the industries poisoning us, environmental justice groups, community and faith organizations, scientists, journalists, and all others who have a stake in this fight start coming together, working together, and fighting back together. In this special panel discussion, recorded at the 2026 Railroad Workers United convention in Chicago, Illinois, we speak with a panel of guests who are part of a new coalition that is doing just that. Panelists include: Jeff Kurtz, a retired locomotive engineer, union officer, and Railroad Workers United member who also served as a state representative in the Iowa House of Representatives; Jami Wallace, a displaced resident of East Palestine, Ohio, and founder of the Chemically Impacted Communities Coalition (CICC); Dr. Nicole Fabricant, a professor of anthropology at Towson University and scholar-activist who has been working with chemically impacted communities in South Baltimore, Maryland, for 15 years; Scott Smith, independent testing expert and founder of the Blue Shirt Justice League; and Lesley Pacey, Senior Environmental Officer at the Government Accountability Project. Additional links/info: Railroad Workers United website, Facebook page, and X page Chemically Impacted Communities Coalition (CICC) Facebook page Blue Shirt Justice League website and Facebook page Government Accountability Project website, Facebook page, X page, Bluesky page, and Instagram Coal-Free Curtis Bay Facebook page and Instagram South Baltimore Community Land Trust website, X page, Facebook page, and Instagram Nicole Fabricant, University of California Press, Fighting to Breathe: Race, Toxicity, and the Rise of Youth Activism in Baltimore Maximillian Alvarez, TRNN, "America's toxic future looks like East Palestine, Ohio, today" Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, "'Let's unite!': Poisoned residents of America's sacrifice zones are banding together" Maximilian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, "Corporations and the government are turning the USA into one giant 'sacrifice zone'" Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

At the 39th Constitutional Convention of the United Auto Workers (UAW) in Detroit, Michigan, union delegates debated and affirmed the aggressive direction the UAW has taken under current President Shawn Fain, supporting pushes to increase shop-floor militancy, support new organizing efforts, and take stronger stances on the political crises working people face today. Among the major developments to come out of the UAW Constitutional Convention was a historic vote to divest the union from Israel bonds, which provide financial support to Israel's government as it continues to wage a US-backed campaign of genocidal violence and ethnic cleansing against Palestinians. In this episode, we break down this historic vote and what it means for union members with a panel of rank-and-file workers and members of Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD), a left-wing caucus within the UAW. Panelists include: Andrew Bergman, a worker at General Motors in Detroit, Michigan, a member of UAW Local 22, and co-chair of UAWD; Navruz Baum, a paralegal in New York, a member of UAW Local 2325, and a member of the UAWD Steering Committee; Margie Thornton, an attorney in Colorado, a member of UAW Local 2320, and a member of the UAWD Steering Committee; and Mike Davis, an auto parts worker in Ohio, a member of UAW Local 2021, and a member of UAWD Additional links/info: Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD) website, member platform, and donation page Navruz Baum, Daily Struggle, "UAW divests from Israel bonds" Dan DiMaggio & Jane Slaughter, Labor Notes, "Auto worker delegates back union's fighting direction at UAW Convention" Shireen Akram-Boshar, Truthout, "United Auto Workers vote to divest from Israel in historic victory" Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

On June 10, early in the morning, FBI agents raided the homes of individuals involved in Palestine solidarity activism at the University of Michigan. As Yarden Katz and Stephen M. Ward report at Mondoweiss, "with help from local and state police departments, including the University of Michigan Police, the raids unfolded simultaneously in Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin…The case is now known as the Michigan Eight. The Justice Department indicted the eight defendants—five of whom are current or former students at the University of Michigan, and one of whom was a University employee—on multiple counts of severe charges, including "Conspiracy to Transmit Threats in Interstate and Foreign Commerce." The defendants, all in their twenties, now potentially face decades in prison." In this installment of our ongoing series "Police State University," we speak with Kevin Zheng, a member-organizer and secretary of the Graduate Employees' Organization at the University of Michigan, and Grace Viscito, a restaurant worker and former graduate student at the University of Michigan. Additional links/info: Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) website, Instagram, Facebook page, and X page Legal Fund of Michigan Students for Palestine Yarden Katz & Stephen M. Ward, Mondoweiss, "Inside the case against the 'Michigan 8': Palestine activism recast as antisemitic terror" Alexa Cheaney, The Michigan Daily, "The Daily breaks down the indictment against eight pro-Palestine activists" Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, "Campus life is unrecognizable in the Trump era: 'There's so many cops everywhere'" Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, "'The raids happened Wednesday, finals started Thursday': FBI agents raid homes of pro-Palestine students at University of Michigan" Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

The world as we know it is facing unprecedented crises today that are all converging at once, from "end-times fascism" and full-blown oligarchy to "artificial intelligence," endless wars, and genocide. The formal institutions of American democracy and organized labor have shown that they cannot stop the ruling-class onslaught on working people's lives, livelihoods, and futures, so it's up to rank-and-file workers everywhere to stand up and fight back. In this special Working People live show, hosted by In These Times magazine in Chicago, Illinois, we speak with veteran labor reporters Kim Kelly, Alex Press, and Hamilton Nolan about the crises breaking our world today—and how to stop them. Additional links/info: Support In These Times magazine! Kim Kelly website, X/Twitter page, TikTok, Bluesky page, and Instagram Alex Press Substack, X/Twitter page, and Instagram Hamilton Nolan Substack, X/Twitter page, Facebook page, Bluesky page Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

At a live event hosted at Red Emma's Cooperative Bookstore and Coffeehouse in Baltimore, Maryland, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez got to sit down for a deep and wide-ranging conversation with Chris Smalls, co-founder and former president of the Amazon Labor Union. Alvarez and Smalls discuss Smalls' new book, When the Revolution Comes: A Fight for the Future of the Working Class; they recount the incredible story of the formation of the Amazon Labor Union and the unionization of the first Amazon warehouse in the US; and they talk about Smalls' journey from warehouse worker and labor organizer to becoming an internationally recognized public figure and a human rights activist who has sailed with humanitarian flotilla missions to Gaza and Cuba. Additional links/info: Chris Smalls X page and Instagram Chris Smalls, Penguin Random House, When the Revolution Comes: A Fight for the Future of the Working Class Maximillian Alvarez, TRNN, "Chris Smalls: Sabotage attempts and death threats won't stop Gaza Freedom Flotilla" Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor