Equal Time with Anthony Pollina, Carl Etnier, & Traven

Brendan O'Neill of the Vermont Migrant Farmworker Solidarity Project, which promotes dignity, justice and human rights for migrant farmworkers in Vermont, speaks out on the outrageous scapegoating of immigrants by Arizona's racist SB1070 law.

300 workers at the Methuen, Mass. Shaw’s Warehouse were forced out on strike since March 7th to protect their families' affordable health care. We hear from a striker as workers and community Members are on a 5 day, 60 mile march to the Massachusetts state house to call for justice.

Vermont State Labor Council Acting President, Jill Charbonneau, and Political Director, Dennis Labounty, give labor’s balance sheet of this legislative session: cuts to unemployment benefits, the cost of the Douglas Administration's refusal to consider a project labor agreement for the Champlain bridge, and moving healthcare reform forward.

Si Kahn discusses his new book, Creative Community Organizing: A Guide for
Rabble-Rousers, Activists, and Quiet Lovers of Justice which describes many of the practical tactics organizers use. But it's also about community organizing as a way of thinking and a way of life.

Mike Morelli, Iron Workers Local 7, sets the facts straight about a project labor agreement and the Champlain Bridge.
Darren Allen, Vermont-National Education Association, explores why Vermonters invest in our local public schools, recognizing the importance of hiring the best to teach our children, so that Vermont’s students achieve at high levels.
Jen Henry, President of United Professions-AFT, announces a new contract for 300 Technical Professionals at Fletcher Allen; and explains her union's work to Ban Mandatory Overtime, for a Whistleblower Protection law for health care workers, their continuing work in Haiti, why they support quality, affordable health care for all, investing in higher education, and ensuring quality early education for our children by organizing child care providers and early educators to form a union.

Sacha Ismail, of Workers' Climate Action, explains the need to build a working-class movement to fight for a “just transition” to an ecologically sustainable society. How can we achieve a just and fair transition – that shows a deep concern for both jobs and the environment - to a sustainable economy?

Ron Blackwell, the AFL-CIO's Chief Economist, explains that Wall Street has gotten its bailouts. It’s overdue for Main Street to get real help. Ron lays out the AFL-CIO's five step program to put America back to work.

Les Leopold, executive director of the Labor Institute, and Dan Dewalt, citizen activist wanting to shut Yankee, discuss the need for a Just Transition for the workers at Vermont Yankee who would be impacted by a plant shutdown. Untold millions will be spent on decommissioning the plant, cleaning up piles of contaminated dirt. Why should we treat dirt better than we treat workers?

Vermont labor activist Paul Fleckenstein talks about the upcoming December 5th conference, "Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Building Democratic, Fighting Unions & Defending Public Programs in Hard Economic Times." Paul explains that Corporate America has created a dangerous economic crisis, and workers are paying the price for it.
How do we defend jobs, health care, retirement, and public services--already deeply eroded by 30 years of rollbacks and cutbacks? How do we lay the groundwork to fight for more?

Darren Allen, Director of Communications for Vermont-NEA, explains that a commission is expected to make recommendations to gut retirement benefits for Vermont’s teachers and public employees.