We discuss the proposed Kansas City Royals stadium to be built at Crown Center in partnership with Hallmark. The plan seems to be creating more questions than answers, and as part of our recurring coverage of the stadium, we’ll look at the economics of public subsidies for sports venues, as well as whether the city’s sales tax revenue projections on the stadium are a home run or a swing-and-a-miss. Our feature is Safety First with Mary Erio.

Planning a summer road trip? How about visiting the places where ordinary people made extraordinary change? We’ll talk to Chris Garlock of the Labor Heritage Foundation about their new Labor Landmark Map! Then we’ll visit a nearby landmark – Quindaro, the town founded by Wyandot Indians, abolitionists and free blacks as a free port on the Missouri River. We’ll talk to a descendant of Robert Monroe who escaped to freedom across the winter ice.  Our feature is Washington Window with Mark Gruenberg.

Who doesn’t love a library? Unfortunately, library workers at Mid-Continent Libraries don’t feel much love from their bosses, and they’ve organized a union. We’ll have them and results of their vote on it on tonight’s show. Then, one might think that being head of the Texas AFL-CIO would be a thankless job in such an anti-union state, but Rick Levy made the state’s labor movement broader, bolder, and more inclusive. We’ll find out how. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.

Ever heard of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers based in Detroit in the 1970s? There’s a new book called Motown and the Making of Working-Class Revolutionaries. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, we’ll talk to the authors. Then, the Missouri legislature will short-change schools next year making grants from the Kansas City Public School Foundation more necessary than ever. Find out about their vital role. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month with Mark Galus.

Pharmacists at the University of Kansas Medical Center in KCK have petitioned for a union election. It’s next week. They wonder why there’s so little room for advancement in their jobs and why the rules leave them without justice on the job. Our feature is Safety First with Mary Erio.

What impact are ICE raids having on immigrant workers and communities in rural Missouri? This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, we’ll talk to University of Michigan Prof. William D. Lopez about his book "Raiding the Heartland.” Then the new Labor Caucus of Missouri legislators is fighting for legislation to support workers and unions. We’ll talk to Rep Adrian Plank. Our feature is Voices from Labor History.

There’s been a lot of news lately about the Port Authority and how the Kansas City building trades unions finally got them to agree to require developers that it subsidizes to pay workers decently, but there’s little talk about the cost of economic growth to our schools and libraries who sacrifice tax income to fund development. We’ll talk to teachers about it and ask, should the Plaza be saved at the expense of our kids’ futures? Then, the Missouri legislature is trying to kill the state income tax. We’ll find out from the Missouri Budget Project’s Amy Blouin how much that will cost the working class. Our feature is Washington Window with Mark Gruenberg.

A member of the new KC Bus Riders Union says, “We want to show that the buses can serve everyone, not just people who rely on them as a lifeline to get to work.” This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we’ll find out more. Then The International Association of Theatrical and Stage Employees Local 31 members do the set up and take down, scenery, and support work for trade shows, plays and concerts. We’ll find out how they’re staffing up for the World Cup. Our feature is Know Your Rights with Michael Amash.

Sick of junk fees, phone scams and wasted time with customer service?  We’ll talk with Chad Maisel of the Groundwork Collaborative about the so-called Annoyance Economy that costs us hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Then, two restaurant workers share how they’re organizing for change with the Missouri Workers Center—from fast food to full service. Hear their stories and what’s next for worker power in Missouri. Our feature is Labor Song of the Month.

It’s baseball season, and it’s the 50th anniversary of free agency. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, we’ll look at one of the most successful unions in American labor history – the Major League Baseball Players Association. We’ll talk with Michael Haupert, economics professor and expert on the business of baseball, about the union and the union’s biggest win – free agency for players. Our feature is Safety First with Mary Erio.