On the Line: On the Line

Episode 30: "The Strike is for Everyone": How San Francisco Educators Built a Movement

On the Line — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 23:18:24 GMT

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.

Episode 29: Sara Nelson: Crisis and Opportunity Ahead

On the Line — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 14:06:14 GMT

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.

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Episode 28: In the Belly of the Beast: How the Federal Unionists Network is Fighting DOGE and Project 2025

On the Line — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 15:48:56 GMT

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.

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Episode 27: Fighting Monopoly Power: UFCW 3000’s battle against grocery giants

On the Line — Thu, 15 May 2025 13:58:04 GMT

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.

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Episode 26: Reconstructing Chicago Public Schools: CTU’s Contract Victory as a Blueprint for Resistance

On the Line — Tue, 06 May 2025 15:56:03 GMT

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.

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Episode 25: Jimmy Williams Jr: Labor's Fork in the Road

On the Line — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 21:39:35 GMT

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.

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Episode 24: We Can't Wait: Inside the CA Statewide Educators Campaign

On the Line — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 15:31:06 GMT

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.

Episode 23: Gene Bruskin Part 2: Building the Anti-war Movement in U.S. Labor

On the Line — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 14:25:09 GMT

Gene Bruskin, a long-time union organizer and anti-war activist joins our producer Jeff Rosenberg for part 2 of our interview, to share powerful 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.

Please support our work by donating to On the Line at Patreon.com/laborontheline. Your donations help us do more coverage and interviews like this.

Episode 22: Gene Bruskin Part 1: Immigrant Workers Fight and Win

On the Line — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 18:18:34 GMT

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.

Please support our work by donating to On the Line at Patreon.com/laborontheline. Your donations help us do more coverage and interviews like this.

Episode 21: August in Review

On the Line — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 21:32:00 GMT

Listen now (26 mins) | 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.

Episode 20: July in Review

On the Line — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 00:02:00 GMT

Listen now (32 mins) | 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.

Episode 19: Project 2025 and the Labor Movement Beyond November

On the Line — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 19:30:34 GMT

Listen now (32 mins) | In this episode of On the Line we break down Project 2025 and what its impact could mean for the labor movement beyond November.

Episode 18: Lessons from Smithfield: How workers unionized the largest hog processing plant in the world 20 years ago

On the Line — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 00:58:16 GMT

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.

Episode 17: June in Review

On the Line — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 22:15:06 GMT

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!

Episode 16: How Union Workers are Taking a Stand for Palestine

On the Line — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 22:27:40 GMT

Listen now (43 mins) | 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

Episode 15: May in Review

On the Line — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 23:51:00 GMT

Listen now (29 mins) | 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

Episode 14: From Service to the Auto Industry: Southern Workers Unite and Fight

On the Line — Fri, 31 May 2024 19:43:00 GMT

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.

Episode 11: Southern Waffle House Workers Go On Strike!

On the Line — Fri, 10 May 2024 19:41:07 GMT

Listen now (23 mins) | 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.

Episode 10: LA Hotel Workers Striking and Winning

On the Line — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 22:56:38 GMT

Listen now (37 mins) | 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.

Episode 9: UAW's Massive Campaign in the South and International Solidarity

On the Line — Sat, 13 Apr 2024 01:50:54 GMT

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.