Working People

On the morning of August 18, residents living near the Brent Industries facility in Toledo, Ohio, awoke to a series of massive explosions and a towering chemical fire in their backyards. Two Brent Industry workers who were on shift at the time of the explosion were killed. Members of the surrounding community say they are experiencing symptoms of chemical exposure, and that they are not getting the answers they need from Brent Industries or the Environmental Protection Agency. In this episode of Working People, we speak with a panel of Toledo residents about the industrial disaster at Brent Industries and the harrowing aftermath. Panelists include: Toledo Councilwoman Dr Brittany Jones; Mike Balonek, Toledo-based filmmaker and sacrifice zone advocate; Sarah Locker and Kris Ramsdell, who both live right next to the Brent Industries facility where the deadly explosion occurred. Editor's note: According to WTVG Toledo, "The coroner's office identified those who died in the [Brent Industries] fire as Heladio G. Perez, 46, and Mary Allen, 64. An autopsy revealed they both died as a result of blunt force trauma." Additional links/info: Dave Collins & John Seewer, Associated Press, "Explosions and fire tear through Ohio industrial building, killing 2 workers" Kevon DuPree, WTVG Toledo, "Records show history of fires, violations at Brent Industries facility" Lily Lowndes, Alexis Means, & Brianna Weaver, WTVG Toledo, "Two dead after explosions rock Toledo industrial facility" Mike Balonek website, Facebook page, Instagram, and production company website Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

On August 27, registered nurses, patients, and community allies rallied and stopped traffic in cities around the US to demand that hospitals and elected officials cut all ties with artificial intelligence giant Palantir. In this episode of Working People, we speak with a panel of registered nurses—Kelli Brennan (Portland, Maine), Lee Barker (Kansas City, Missouri), and Kiera Arbour (Chicago, Illinois)—about National Nurses United's "Purge Palantir!" campaign, and about the disturbing creep of Big Tech and Big Brother into a US healthcare system that is already in crisis. Additional links/info: National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United website, Facebook page, Twitter/X page, and Instagram National Nurses United: "Nurses hold nationwide civil disobedience actions to demand 'Palantir Out!'" Sheera Frenkel & Aaron Krolik, The New York Times, "Trump Taps Palantir to Compile Data on Americans" Aisha Down & Robert Booth, The Guardian, "Palantir manifesto described as 'ramblings of a supervillain' amid UK contract fears" Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

Over the 2026 Labor Day weekend, Working People host and TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez spoke at the Reuther-Pollack Labor History Symposium in Wheeling, West Virginia, organized by the Wheeling Academy of Law & Science (WALS) Foundation. The theme of this year's Symposium was "The Art of Labor," and other speakers included: Tabitha Arnold, textile artist and tapestry maker; Erik Ruin, printmaker and shadow puppeteer; and Shaun Slifer, a multidisciplinary artist and the Creative Director for the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum. In this episode of Working People, we share the audio recording of Alvarez's speech, "Why the Stories Working People Tell Ourselves About Ourselves Matter." You can read the full, edited transcript of this speech on the TRNN website. Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

The 20th-century days of vinyl records, tape decks, CDs, Tower Records, and MTV have given way to our 21st-century age of MP3s and music streaming, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube, TikTok, and Ticketmaster. While certain people and certain companies in the music industry are making more money than ever, working musicians are finding it increasingly impossible to pay the bills and make a living from their art. In this episode of Working People, we speak with all four members of veteran Chicago rock band The Empty Pockets about the work that goes into being a professional musician, and the realities of working and trying to make a living in the music industry today. Additional links/info: The Empty Pockets website, Facebook page, Instagram, YouTube channel, and Spotify channel Josh Solomon, Hypebot, "We stopped waiting to be chosen and mailed 100,000 CDs instead" Jules Taylor Music website, Facebook page, Instagram, YouTube channel, and Spotify channel Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

After a deadly "derecho" storm and flash floods slammed the midwest in early August, downing trees and power lines, tens of thousands of residents in and around Gary, Indiana have been surviving without power for 12 days and counting. According to the Associated Press, "Northern Indiana Public Service Co. said 68,000 customers were still without power as of Thursday morning, the majority of them in Lake County beside the Illinois border. The utility said it has restored power to 306,500 others since Aug. 11. But power is not expected to be fully restored until Tuesday [Aug. 25] in some places, including Gary." In this urgent episode of Working People, we speak with a panel of residents and community leaders about the ongoing blackout in Gary and the conditions that led to this avoidable national tragedy. Panelists include: GlenEva Dunham, president of the Gary Teachers Union, AFT Local 4; Freida Graves, Project Director at the faith-based nonprofit Families Anchored in Total Harmony (FAITH) CDC; and Reverend John Jackson, Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ. Additional links/info: FAITH CDC website and Facebook page Gary Advocates for Responsible Development (GARD) Facebook page Tilly Robinson, Indianapolis Star, "Braun tells NIPSCO to move faster in Gary, while clergy says state must do more" Javonte Anderson, Capital B Gary, "I grew up in Gary. I've never seen a power outage like this" Belly of the Beast, "US policy causes Cuba's blackouts. US citizens bring solar panels for pregnant women" Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor