10 years before the catastrophic train derailment and chemical disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, one of the deadliest rail disasters in North American history took place in the Canadian town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. On July 6, 2013, an unattended freight train that had been parked on the tracks overnight began to roll downhill and gather alarming speed as it careened towards the city center of Lac-Mégantic. The train, which was operated by Montreal, Maine, and Atlantic Railway and carrying over 2 million gallons of crude oil, derailed around 1:15 AM. The resulting explosions and fire killed 47 people and destroyed over 40 buildings, obliterating a large portion of the downtown area and prompting mass evacuations. In this special episode of Working People, we speak with a panel of survivors of the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster in Canada and the East Palestine rail disaster in the USA. Panelists include: Robert Bellefleur, a resident of Lac-Mégantic and spokesperson for the Lac-Mégantic Citizens' Coalition for Railroad Safety; Gilbert Carette, a resident of Lac-Mégantic and a member of the Lac-Mégantic Citizens' Coalition for Railroad Safety; Gilles Fluet, a resident of Lac-Mégantic who narrowly escaped the 2013 train crash and witnessed the derailment firsthand; Anne-Marie Saint-Cerny, award-winning writer, videographer, social and environmental justice activist, and author of Mégantic: A Deadly Mix of Oil, Rail, and Avarice; Jami Wallace, a displaced resident of East Palestine, Ohio, and founder of the Chemically Impacted Communities Coalition; Christina Siceloff, a Creek Ranger and resident of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, affected by the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment and chemical disaster. If you or members of your community are interested in attending or participating in TRNN's 2026 No More Sacrifice Zones conference, please contact us by emailing contact[at]therealnews[dot]com.   Additional links/info: Lac-Mégantic Citizens' Coalition for Railroad Safety website and Facebook page Chemically Impacted Communities Coalition (CICC) Facebook page Railroad Workers United website, Facebook page, and X page Anne-Marie Saint-Cerny, Talonbooks, Mégantic: A Deadly Mix of Oil, Rail, and Avarice Dimitri Lascaris, TRNN, "'Bomb Train': Oil Execs Try to Blame Workers for Tragic Accident" Maximillian Alvarez, TRNN, "America's toxic future looks like East Palestine, Ohio, today" Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, "Toxic Avengers: America's poisoned and abandoned communities must stand together or die" Credits: Pre-Production: Maximillian Alvarez, Dr. Nicole Fabricant, Fritz Edler Studio Production: Maximillian Alvarez French-English Interpretation: Anne Lagacé Dowson Voice Acting: Ethan Cox, Daniel Lemieux Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor, Alina Nehlich Music: Jules Taylor 

From the explosion of AI data centers to the increasing number of toxic spills, explosions, and industrial disasters happening across the country, corporations and the government are turning the USA into one giant "sacrifice zone." In "red" states and "blue" states, in rural areas and urban areas, poor and working people are suffering the toxic effects of a crisis that has resulted from decades of deregulation, corporate-capture of government, and the protection of private profits over the lives and health of the public. No one is coming to save us, and nothing is going to change unless residents of different sacrifice zones and poisoned communities, workers and unions on the frontlines of the industries poisoning us, environmental justice groups, community and faith organizations, scientists, journalists, and all others who have a stake in this fight start coming together, working together, and fighting back together. In this special panel discussion, recorded at the 2026 Railroad Workers United convention in Chicago, Illinois, we speak with a panel of guests who are part of a new coalition that is doing just that. Panelists include: Jeff Kurtz, a retired locomotive engineer, union officer, and Railroad Workers United member who also served as a state representative in the Iowa House of Representatives; Jami Wallace, a displaced resident of East Palestine, Ohio, and founder of the Chemically Impacted Communities Coalition (CICC); Dr. Nicole Fabricant, a professor of anthropology at Towson University and scholar-activist who has been working with chemically impacted communities in South Baltimore, Maryland, for 15 years; Scott Smith, independent testing expert and founder of the Blue Shirt Justice League; and Lesley Pacey, Senior Environmental Officer at the Government Accountability Project. Additional links/info: Railroad Workers United website, Facebook page, and X page Chemically Impacted Communities Coalition (CICC) Facebook page Blue Shirt Justice League website and Facebook page Government Accountability Project website, Facebook page, X page, Bluesky page, and Instagram Coal-Free Curtis Bay Facebook page and Instagram South Baltimore Community Land Trust website, X page, Facebook page, and Instagram Nicole Fabricant, University of California Press, Fighting to Breathe: Race, Toxicity, and the Rise of Youth Activism in Baltimore Maximillian Alvarez, TRNN, "America's toxic future looks like East Palestine, Ohio, today" Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, "'Let's unite!': Poisoned residents of America's sacrifice zones are banding together" Maximilian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, "Corporations and the government are turning the USA into one giant 'sacrifice zone'" Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

At the 39th Constitutional Convention of the United Auto Workers (UAW) in Detroit, Michigan, union delegates debated and affirmed the aggressive direction the UAW has taken under current President Shawn Fain, supporting pushes to increase shop-floor militancy, support new organizing efforts, and take stronger stances on the political crises working people face today. Among the major developments to come out of the UAW Constitutional Convention was a historic vote to divest the union from Israel bonds, which provide financial support to Israel's government as it continues to wage a US-backed campaign of genocidal violence and ethnic cleansing against Palestinians. In this episode, we break down this historic vote and what it means for union members with a panel of rank-and-file workers and members of Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD), a left-wing caucus within the UAW.  Panelists include: Andrew Bergman, a worker at General Motors in Detroit, Michigan, a member of UAW Local 22, and co-chair of UAWD; Navruz Baum, a paralegal in New York, a member of UAW Local 2325, and a member of the UAWD Steering Committee; Margie Thornton, an attorney in Colorado, a member of UAW Local 2320, and a member of the UAWD Steering Committee; and Mike Davis, an auto parts worker in Ohio, a member of UAW Local 2021, and a member of UAWD Additional links/info:  Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD) website, member platform, and donation page Navruz Baum, Daily Struggle, "UAW divests from Israel bonds" Dan DiMaggio & Jane Slaughter, Labor Notes, "Auto worker delegates back union's fighting direction at UAW Convention" Shireen Akram-Boshar, Truthout, "United Auto Workers vote to divest from Israel in historic victory" Featured Music:  Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits:  Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

On June 10, early in the morning, FBI agents raided the homes of individuals involved in Palestine solidarity activism at the University of Michigan. As Yarden Katz and Stephen M. Ward report at Mondoweiss, "with help from local and state police departments, including the University of Michigan Police, the raids unfolded simultaneously in Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin…The case is now known as the Michigan Eight. The Justice Department indicted the eight defendants—five of whom are current or former students at the University of Michigan, and one of whom was a University employee—on multiple counts of severe charges, including "Conspiracy to Transmit Threats in Interstate and Foreign Commerce." The defendants, all in their twenties, now potentially face decades in prison."    In this installment of our ongoing series "Police State University," we speak with Kevin Zheng, a member-organizer and secretary of the Graduate Employees' Organization at the University of Michigan, and Grace Viscito, a restaurant worker and former graduate student at the University of Michigan.   Additional links/info:  Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) website, Instagram, Facebook page, and X page Legal Fund of Michigan Students for Palestine Yarden Katz & Stephen M. Ward, Mondoweiss, "Inside the case against the 'Michigan 8': Palestine activism recast as antisemitic terror" Alexa Cheaney, The Michigan Daily, "The Daily breaks down the indictment against eight pro-Palestine activists" Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, "Campus life is unrecognizable in the Trump era: 'There's so many cops everywhere'" Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, "'The raids happened Wednesday, finals started Thursday': FBI agents raid homes of pro-Palestine students at University of Michigan"   Featured Music:  Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song   Credits:  Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor  

The world as we know it is facing unprecedented crises today that are all converging at once, from "end-times fascism" and full-blown oligarchy to "artificial intelligence," endless wars, and genocide. The formal institutions of American democracy and organized labor have shown that they cannot stop the ruling-class onslaught on working people's lives, livelihoods, and futures, so it's up to rank-and-file workers everywhere to stand up and fight back. In this special Working People live show, hosted by In These Times magazine in Chicago, Illinois, we speak with veteran labor reporters Kim Kelly, Alex Press, and Hamilton Nolan about the crises breaking our world today—and how to stop them.  Additional links/info:  Support In These Times magazine!  Kim Kelly website, X/Twitter page, TikTok, Bluesky page, and Instagram Alex Press Substack, X/Twitter page, and Instagram Hamilton Nolan Substack, X/Twitter page, Facebook page, Bluesky page Featured Music:  Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits:  Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

At a live event hosted at Red Emma's Cooperative Bookstore and Coffeehouse in Baltimore, Maryland, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez got to sit down for a deep and wide-ranging conversation with Chris Smalls, co-founder and former president of the Amazon Labor Union. Alvarez and Smalls discuss Smalls' new book, When the Revolution Comes: A Fight for the Future of the Working Class; they recount the incredible story of the formation of the Amazon Labor Union and the unionization of the first Amazon warehouse in the US; and they talk about Smalls' journey from warehouse worker and labor organizer to becoming an internationally recognized public figure and a human rights activist who has sailed with humanitarian flotilla missions to Gaza and Cuba.  Additional links/info:  Chris Smalls X page and Instagram Chris Smalls, Penguin Random House, When the Revolution Comes: A Fight for the Future of the Working Class Maximillian Alvarez, TRNN, "Chris Smalls: Sabotage attempts and death threats won't stop Gaza Freedom Flotilla" Featured Music:  Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits:  Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

Nearly a year after workers voted to authorize a strike, non-union city and commercially contracted security officers in Baltimore, MD, walked off the job on April 9 on an Unfair Labor Practice strike against their employers, Abacus Corporation, Metropolitan Protective Services, and Urban Development Solutions. Now, Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) say that workers have been retaliated against by Metropolitan Protective Services (MPS), alleging that the city contractor "fired and harassed workers following [the] lawful strike." MPS denies these allegations and claims "that no employees have been terminated due to union involvement." In this episode of Working People, we speak with Victoria Cox, a former MPS employee who worked to reach the rank of sergeant, and Daril Riley, a former MPS employee who reached the rank of corporal. Both Cox and Riley have had their shifts taken off the schedule—and, essentially, their jobs taken away—and both have been put under investigation by MPS since the strike in April. Additional links/info:  Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, "Underpaid, uninsured, held at gunpoint: Baltimore security guards strike for a union" SEIU Local 32BJ website, Facebook page, and Instagram Katherine Wilson, Baltimore Sun, "Baltimore contract security officers at city properties prepare to strike" Featured Music:  Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits:  Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor Statement from Derrick Parks, CEO and President of Metropolitan Protective Services (5/26/26): Metropolitan Protective Services, Inc. (MPSI) maintains that no employees have been terminated due to union involvement. We fully support our employees' right to choose whether or not to join a union.   The individuals recently removed from the schedule were terminated for failing to maintain the current Maryland guard license required by the Maryland State Police. Regarding Sergeant Cox, she was removed from the schedule at the specific request of the client following multiple advisements regarding violations of client policy and insubordination.   Of our 175 employees, only six have been removed from the schedule or terminated, all due to licensing issues or performance concerns. We find these allegations to be without merit and believe they are being used by the union to exert pressure on the company.   Furthermore, we have received reports of union representatives harassing employees who chose not to join, including unauthorized site visits and the use of derogatory language. MPSI is currently considering filing a cease and desist order and a harassment lawsuit to protect the rights of our staff. Our priority remains protecting all employees, regardless of their union status.

Since the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump and his acolytes, rightwing media, and coal industry barons and lobbyists have obsessively painted the picture of Trump as a friend to coal miners and the so-called "undisputed champion of beautiful clean coal." But as labor journalist Kim Kelly reports at In These Times, "the simpering ​'Trump digs coal' image the administration seeks to project is vastly at odds with the actions it's taken to limit miner protections, endanger their health, and exacerbate the black lung crisis consuming Central Appalachia." In this episode of Working People, we speak with Kelly about the Trump administration's latest betrayal of coal miners and their families and its underreported attack on the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission and abrupt, unprecedented firing of FMSHRC Commissioner Moshe Z. Marvit.  Additional links/info:  Kim Kelly website, X/Twitter page, TikTok, Bluesky page, and Instagram Kim Kelly, In These Times, "Trump's latest target: Coal miners' safety" Jordan Barab, Confined Space, "Friday night massacre at Mine Safety Review Commission" Kim Kelly, In These Times, "The Trump administration ramps up its war on coal miners" Kim Kelly, In These Times, "Trump to coal miners: Drop dead" Featured Music:  Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits:  Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

After 14 months of fruitless contract negotiations with the Harvard University administration, over 4,000 workers represented by the Harvard Graduate Students Union (HGSU-UAW Local 5118) walked off the job on an indefinite strike on April 21. According to the union, "Graduate student workers will suspend teaching and research labor until Harvard's bargaining team takes substantive action in addressing the union's key issues: pay that keeps pace with the rising cost of living, recourse for harassment and discrimination, support for non-citizen students, protections for academic freedom, and 'fair share fees' to equitably distribute the expenses of union representation, among others." In this episode of Working People, we speak with three striking graduate student workers about the issues at the center of this strike, and about what it's like to live, work, and strike at the country's richest university amid political attacks from the federal government, scandals connecting high-ranking Harvard officials to Jeffrey Epstein, and a nationwide cost-of-living crisis.  Panelists include: Sara Speller, a fifth-year PhD student in the Music Department at Harvard and president of the Harvard Graduate Students Union; Zoë Feder, a seventh-year PhD student in the program in Biological & Biomedical Sciences at Harvard Medical School and a research assistant in the Microbiology Department; and Jacob Wolf, a third-year PhD student and Teaching Fellow in the Harvard Graduate School of Education.  Additional links/info:  Harvard Graduate Students Union (HGSU-UAW Local 5118) website, Facebook page, X/Twitter page, TikTok, and Instagram Harvard Graduate Students Union Strike Update/FAQ Zine Lydialyle Gibson, Harvard Magazine, "Harvard graduate student workers strike" Noah A. Ferris, The Harvard Crimson, "Grad students rally outside Garber's home as strike enters third week" Hugo C. Chiasson & Elise A. Spenner, The Harvard Crimson, "Harvard promised a 'full' review of its Epstein ties. Its own files reveal what it left out" Featured Music:  Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits:  Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

After members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh won their strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in late 2025, which had lasted for over 3 years, they were notified in January that the paper's wealthy owners, the Block family and Block Communications Inc., were shutting down operations. Then, in a stunning turn of events, the Post-Gazette was purchased in April by the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, which also owns The Banner in Baltimore, MD. While Post-Gazette workers were cautiously optimistic about the news, the union learned last week that the Venetoulis Institute is cutting at least 40 percent of its staff, including 80 percent of the union workers who participated in the recently ended strike.  In this episode of Working People, we speak with a panel of union members and former Post-Gazette employees about what will happen to them and their coworkers, to the Post-Gazette itself, and to journalism in the Steel City. Panelists include: Andrew Goldstein, a now-former Post-Gazette education reporter and still-acting president of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh; Helen Fallon, a longtime copyeditor for the Post-Gazette and professor emerita at Point Park University in Pittsburgh; and Erin Hebert, a now-former copyeditor and designer for the Post-Gazette and First Vice President of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh. Additional links/info:  Pittsburgh Alliance for People-Empowered Reporting (PAPER) website Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh website, Facebook page, and Instagram Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh: "Incoming Post-Gazette ownership slashes staff, purges former strikers" Riddhi Setty, Columbia Journalism Review, "The Venetoulis Institute goes to Pittsburgh" Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, "They won their strike fair and square. Now their rich bosses are closing up shop" Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, "The longest-running strike in the US is over—and the workers won" Featured Music:  Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits:  Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor