WHAT’S GOING ON? WBAI Pacifica Labor Radio Hour LIVE LABOR DAY with Bob Hennelly
Over the weekend, the Israeli military continued its siege of Gaza City with the United Nations predicting the offensive could re-displace one million civilians. The BBC is reporting that new footage shows Israel bombed the Nasser Hospital at least four times, drawing international condemnation for the strikes that killed at least 20 people, including five journalists.
Close to 260 journalists have been killed by Israel's military in the 23-month siege that has officially killed over 63,000 Palestinians after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack that killed 1,200 Israelis, many of whom were attending a music festival.
Earlier this year, President Trump shocked the world when he called for the United States to annex the territory to create a "Rivera of the Middle East" resort on the rubble that has become Gaza, a gross violation of international law.
This Labor Day comes as the second Trump administration, in its first several months, has stripped one million federal workers of their collective bargaining rights—the largest effort at union-busting in U.S. history. That came with a massive tax cut and transfer of wealth to the nation's wealthiest families and corporations, as well as the loss of healthcare for 15 million Americans.
Later today at 2 p.m., as part of the National "Workers Over Billionaires" Labor Day of Action, thousands of New York restaurant workers and their supporters will march on Trump Tower from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
In the A Block we spoke with Brendan Griffith, the new president of the NYC Central Labor Council, which represents 300 unions and more than one million workers. Brendan describes how unionized workers make significantly more than non-union workers, as well as enjoy a safer workplace.
In the B Block, we spoke with United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, who just won re-election to lead the union of nearly 200,000 members, including 75,000 New York City public school teachers.
Michael confirms the recent improvement in New York City public school student test performance but takes the Trump administration to task for zeroing out the U.S. Department of Education, which plays a critical role in addressing the enduring achievement gap between Black, Latino, and white students.
We also heard from Dr. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents over 800,000 federal civil servants that the Trump administration has been trying to undermine. We discuss how historically authoritarian governments take aim at unions because their collective power challenges the dictator’s bid to consolidate power.
