Best Mike Struchen Podcasts (2025)

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Carts, Cuts, and Class Struggle: A Snapshot of the New Economy 48:00

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1d ago48:00

48:00

In this episode of The Labor Force Podcast, we dive deep into America’s worsening affordability crisis and the growing worker uprisings pushing back against it. We start with new data showing that nearly one in three low-income households lives paycheck to paycheck, unable to keep up with inflation as wages stagnate and basic costs climb. From ther…

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Survival Mode, Organizing Mode 36:42

9d ago36:42

36:42

This week on the Labor Force Podcast: The federal government may have reopened, but for thousands of workers, the real impact of the shutdown is far from over. We dig deep into the lives of furloughed workers—from maxed-out credit cards to food bank lines—and the stress that lingers long after paychecks resume. In Pittsburgh, the Newspaper Guild of…

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Mamdani, Shutdowns, and the New Labor Earthquake 53:28

16d ago53:28

53:28

In this episode, we trace the through-line connecting a historic political upset in New York City, the grinding federal shutdown, a wave of labor actions across the country, and the everyday financial pressure bearing down on working people. From Zohran Mamdani’s stunning mayoral victory to the strain on air traffic controllers, we dig into the con…

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No Kings, No Business as Usual 35:03

24d ago35:03

35:03

In this episode, we unpack the growing crisis sparked by the government shutdown and the Trump administration’s attack on SNAP benefits—threatening food security for millions of working families. We break down the court fight over federal worker layoffs, the latest mass job cuts at Amazon, and the Boeing machinists still holding the line in St. Lou…

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Labor vs. the Lockdown Economy 43:16

1M ago43:16

43:16

This week on The Labor Force Podcast, the ground feels like it’s shifting under everyone’s feet. As the government shutdown stretches on, its ripple effects are hitting far beyond Washington—federal workers without pay, contractors closing up shop, and small businesses left hanging by a thread. We look at how this slowdown is grinding down working …

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The Waiting Game 58:41

1M ago58:41

58:41

This week on The Labor Force Podcast, we cover a country in motion—from federal workers trapped in a shutdown to Jamaican farmworkers fighting for their rights, Houston hotel staff winning big, and healthcare and aerospace workers holding the line. We also look at Volkswagen’s union showdown, the rise of white-collar organizing, and Shawn Fain’s ca…

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Shutdowns, Strikes, and Solidarity 46:13

2M ago46:13

46:13

This week on The Labor Force Podcast, we’re taking a hard look at what happens when the system stops working — and workers don’t. The federal government shutdown continues to ripple through the lives of hundreds of thousands of public servants, forcing families to make impossible choices. In St. Louis, the Boeing strike enters its third month as ma…

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System Error: Working People on the Line 31:08

2M ago31:08

31:08

In this episode, we dive into the latest government shutdown and its very real impact on working families’ healthcare, explore the deepening crisis inside New York State’s correctional system six months after a wildcat strike, and spotlight a brand-new organizing effort at the Downtown Disney Lego Store in California. From the fight over Medicaid a…

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The Cradle, the Ladle, and the Picket Line 32:31

2M ago32:31

32:31

This week, we cover a wave of worker struggles and the bigger political forces shaping them: IAM-Boeing showdown in St. Louis – workers fight back after Boeing calls their contract a “fake deal.” Houston hotel strike – Hilton workers demand fair pay, humane workloads, and respect. UAW at Volkswagen – momentum builds in Tennessee as workers weigh st…

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The Economy Isn’t Broken—It’s Rigged 50:40

2M ago50:40

50:40

This week on the Labor Force Podcast: Machinists at Boeing and aerospace workers at GE show what real solidarity looks like. Hotel workers in Houston hold the line for a living wage. Google’s hidden army of AI raters get chewed up and tossed aside. Starbucks baristas keep fighting through stonewalling and retaliation. Hollywood animators and produc…

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Recession Warnings, Rising Revolt 25:04

2M ago25:04

25:04

In this episode of the Labor Force Podcast, we cover strike updates shaking up industries across the country—from Teamsters holding strong in Massachusetts and Minnesota, to Boeing machinists in St. Louis, to Hilton hotel workers in Houston making history in Texas. We dig into the widening gap between right-to-work states and free bargaining states…

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Union Power in Trash, Jets, Hotels, and Apps 32:38

3M ago32:38

32:38

September is here, but the labor movement hasn’t cooled down one bit. In this episode, we cover strikes stretching from Massachusetts to Houston, workers pushing back in the defense industry, and a historic new path for Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize in California. We’ll dig into: Massachusetts trash collectors striking for parity and dignity. D…

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Labor Day or Groundhog Day? 19:20

3M ago19:20

19:20

This week on the Labor Force Podcast: Strikes stretching from trash haulers to Boeing machinists A razor-thin UAW win at a new battery plant National park workers unionizing in droves A Labor Day push: Workers Over Billionaires The healthcare grind—why “preventive” doesn’t mean covered New data on young adults hitting pause on the American Dream A …

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Who Really Keeps the Economy Running? 29:09

3M ago29:09

29:09

Another day, another blessed dollar—except not if you’re building billion-dollar jets for $20 an hour or getting paid zero bucks while passengers board.In this episode: Boeing on the Brink – 3,200 workers walk out in Missouri and Illinois, shutting down production of fighter jets and commercial planes. Their message? Respect doesn’t come cheap, and…

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A System That Won’t Let You Die Quietly 31:48

3M ago31:48

31:48

From trash piling up in Massachusetts to machinists walking out in St. Louis, the fight for fair pay and respect is raging coast to coast. This episode takes you inside the standoffs, the backroom games, and the political stonewalling—plus a look at the federal government’s latest assault on collective bargaining rights. We dig into the immigration…

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The New Empire Strikes Hard—But Workers Strike Harder 40:49

4M ago40:49

40:49

In this episode, we pull no punches. First, we unpack the shocking firing of BLS chief Erika McEntarfer by President Trump—an unprecedented move that sends tremors through the foundations of data integrity and democracy itself. What happens when truth gets treated as sabotage? Then, we check in on the labor frontlines: 🚛 Teamsters Local 25 ramp up …

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Trash Piles, Class Wars, and Finding Real Connection 42:22

4M ago42:22

42:22

In this episode, we take a sweeping look at the pressure points hitting America’s working class—from overflowing garbage in Massachusetts to high-stakes labor battles at Boeing and BlueOval SK. We examine what’s really behind the so-called “crisis” facing working-class men, challenging the misleading narratives that pit workers against one another.…

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Quiet Cracking, Loud Solidarity 35:01

4M ago35:01

35:01

In this jam-packed episode, we take a wide-angle look at the state of work, wages, burnout, and organizing in 2025—and what it all means for workers today. From the basketball court to the shop floor, from Congress to the college classroom, there’s one message echoing across every sector: enough is enough. 🏀 WNBA’s Bold Stand We break down the mean…

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A New Era of Hunger and Hard Work 33:03

4M ago33:03

33:03

In this episode, we dig deep into the labor standoffs, service breakdowns, and survival strategies defining this American summer. 🔹 First up: The trash piling up in Boston isn’t just a nuisance—it’s the product of a two-week strike by Teamsters Local 25 against Republic Services. With failed negotiations, accusations flying, and the strike spreadin…

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The Cost of Survival in a Broken System 35:48

5M ago35:48

35:48

In this episode, we take a hard look at how workers are being ground down across industries and institutions—from city halls to video game studios, from federal agencies to hotel rooms miscast as emergency housing. Episode Highlights: Philadelphia’s Massive Municipal Strike Ends Nearly 10,000 workers from AFSCME DC 33 walked out, shutting down city…

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Solidarity Summer: Strikes, Struggles, and Standing Tall 35:39

5M ago35:39

35:39

Graduation weekend may be over, but the education continues—on the picket lines, in courtrooms, and on the factory floor. In this episode, we hear from high school seniors with big dreams and sharp insights, then take a hard look at the growing wave of labor action rippling across the country. From nurses in Wisconsin to trash collectors in Boston,…

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Politics, Processing Power, and Push Back 45:56

5M ago45:56

45:56

In this wide-ranging episode, I dive deep into the latest battles over labor rights, the disruption caused by AI, and the fight for dignity in the modern workplace. From political power grabs aimed at crushing unions to billion-dollar tech firms casually announcing mass layoffs via AI, the threats are real—but so is the resistance. Plus, we end wit…

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From Orchards to End Zones: Worker Power in Unexpected Places 34:16

5M ago34:16

34:16

In this episode of The Labor Force Podcast, I travel from the apple orchards of upstate New York to a corporate warehouse in Syracuse to NFL stadium sidelines—uncovering the common threads in modern labor struggles. I begin with a landmark union win at Cahoon Farms, where both year-round and seasonal H-2A guest workers have secured New York’s first…