Labor Notes

Labor Notes' Mark Brenner Discusses Public Sector Workers in the Crosshairs on Pacifica

Labor Notes' Mark Brenner and AFGE's Bill Fletcher join host Mitch Jeserich on Pacifica's Letters and Politics January 18 to discuss the stream of attacks on public sector workers across the country.

Labor Notes' Mark Brenner Reacts to Mayor Bloomberg's State of the City

Labor Notes Mark Brenner spends some time with Ester Armah on WBAI's Wake Up Call January 20 discussing Mayor Michael Bloomberg's State of the City speech, and what billionaires like Bloomberg have in store for public sector workers.

State of the Unions

Labor Notes' Mark Brenner appears on Doug Henwood's radio show Behind the News to discuss the state of today's labor movement, the missed opportunities from 2009, and prospects for a revival of labor's fortunes.

Sweatshop-coddling, on Steroids

Labor activist Jeff Ballinger asks why the International Labor Organization is expanding its "Better Work" program that promises to improve the life of garment workers by pushing out conflict at the workplace. "Changes comes in society when people get organized and take risks," he says.  This interview on WBEZ's "Worldview" program follows Ballinger's insightful piece on the Better Work phenomenon in the latest issue of Labor Notes magazine.

Should minimum wages extend across borders?

A British workers' rights group is calling for a common minimum wage across Asia, and Labor Notes' Mark Brenner was on PRI's "Marketplace Morning Report" radio show supporting the notion. Multinational companies dodge the issue of how much the people who make their products are paid, he said, and putting a floor below wages across Asia would force companies to stop playing one country off another.

Bankruptcy for GM? Labor Notes on KPFA - The Morning Show

As Washington whispers about preparations to send GM through bankruptcy's wringer, what would that mean for hundreds of thousands of auto workers and retirees? When the governments of France and Italy have committed to saving auto worker jobs, why is the U.S. government only focused on restoring the company's bottom line? Mark Brenner discusses what a more comprehensive solution to the auto makers' problems would look like on David Bacon's “The Morning Show" on KPFA.

Labor Notes' Mark Brenner on KCRW - To the Point

If the car companies are too big to fail, too poorly run to put right, it’s time to take them over. But Obama made a point of ruling out a takeover in his March 30 speech, saying that the government doesn’t want to run the companies. If they can’t present turnaround plans that restore them to profitability, he prefers bankruptcy—which, without significant alterations, will be a disaster for wide swaths of the Midwest. Listen to Mark Brenner discuss these issues on Warren Olney's "To the Point" on KCRW.

Mark Brenner tackles the Auto Industry Bailout - 620 AM KPOJ

Washington is buzzing over a "Big Three" bailout, and whether any deal will be tied to a free trade agreement with Colombia. What will a bailout mean for auto workers, or for the state of Michigan?
This morning on 620 AM KPOJ Labor Notes' Mark Brenner discusses why a piecemeal solution to the industry's problems won't work, and why we need a top-to-bottom overhaul of our transportation system--including auto manufacturing. Brenner also addresses why the people who got us into this mess can't get us out, and why any solution has to put national health care at the top of list.