Best Lee Saunders Podcasts (2025)

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Tom Buffenbarger | Best of 2025: Lee Saunders, AFSCME 50:17

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2d ago50:17

50:17

On today’s episode of America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Tom Buffenbarger, retired President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, reflected on the state of the American workforce, the escalating cost of living fueled by rising healthcare premiums, misleading unemployment data and the growing importance of unions in…

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Films of Ideas: Wittgenstein w/Nikhil Krishnan 59:29

28m ago59:29

59:29

The fourth episode in our season of live recordings from the Regent Street Cinema is about another film that explores the relationship between biography and philosophy: Derek Jarman’s Wittgenstein (1993), which tells the story of an extraordinary life in a way that is both light and profound. David talks to writer and philosopher Nikhil Krishnan ab…

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Dave McCall, USW | Best of 2025: Joe Nantista and Paul Slocomb, BMWED 1:04:31

43m ago1:04:31

1:04:31

On today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Dave McCall, International President of the United Steelworkers, reflected on the union’s evolution, its leadership transition to Roxanne Brown in 2026 and the challenges and victories that defined his time with the Steelworkers. Continuing the Best of 2025, the America’s Work Force Unio…

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Zach Story, IBEW Local 210 | Best of 2025: Sylvester Taylor, IBEW Local 1 45:54

1h ago45:54

45:54

Zach Story, Business Manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 210 in southern New Jersey, appeared on the Christmas Day edition of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to share his insights on the union’s current landscape, its organizing efforts and ongoing local initiatives that strengthen ties within the community. …

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Congresswoman Linda Sanchez | Best of 2025: Sean O’Brien, Teamsters 47:01

21h ago47:01

47:01

On today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez, representing California’s 38th Congressional District, joined the show to discuss her advocacy for workers and the Federal Mechanical Insulation Act. Sanchez, a labor lawyer and co-leader of key energy and infrastructure bills, discussed her work with the Mechani…

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162 Polar Bears & Patrols – With Jack Skillings 45:42

1d ago45:42

45:42

From patrolling on sea ice and responding to polar bear calls to managing wildlife in remote communities, Conservation Officer Jack Skillings takes us deep into the Canadian Arctic. Offering a rare glimpse into wildlife enforcement in the far north, Jack shares the rewards and realities of protecting the environment in some of the most isolated pla…

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Films of Ideas: Rosa Luxemburg w/Lea Ypi 1:01:55

1d ago1:01:55

1:01:55

Today’s episode in our season of live recordings from the Regent Street Cinema looks at the biopic of a revolutionary: Margaretha von Trotta’s Rosa Luxemburg (1986), which explores the deeply unstable relationship between the personal and the political. David talks to writer and philosopher Lea Ypi (Free, Indignity) about where biography ends and p…

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Greg Regan, TTD | Best of 2025: Everett Kelley, AFGE 49:54

3d ago49:54

49:54

On this episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, discussed the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to cancel the Transportation Security Administration workers' collective bargaining agreement, the possible impact of the Protect America's Workforce Act and rece…

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Films of Ideas: My Dinner with Andre w/Lee Hall 1:06:41

4d ago1:06:41

1:06:41

The second episode in our live series from the Regent Street Cinema explores Louis Malle’s My Dinner with Andre (1981), in which two men discuss the meaning of theatre, capitalism, love, science, faith and freedom over a meal. David talks to playwright and screenwriter Lee Hall (Billy Elliot, Rocketman) about how a great film can be made out of a s…

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Paul vs Davis Fight in Jeopardy, NFL Week 9 Hot Takes & NBA Surprises 1:04:37

5d ago1:04:37

1:04:37

We’re breaking down another wild week in sports! 🏈 NFL Season Recap — One word to describe this season so far. 🔥 Week 9 Bold Predictions — Upsets, breakouts, and hot takes you don’t want to miss. 🐬 Dolphins & GM Split — What’s next for Miami’s front office? 🥊 Paul vs Davis Fight — Could this matchup fall apart before it happens? 🤼‍♂️ WWE Saturday N…

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Jeff Stoffer, American Legion | Rich Fiesta, Alliance for Retired Americans 49:09

6d ago49:09

49:09

Today’s edition of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast featured Jeff Stoffer, Director of the American Legion Media and Communications Division, who discussed the January edition of the American Legion Magazine. He discussed some of the feature stories, like the importance of the United States ratifying the Law of the Sea Convention amid Chinese…

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Pat O’Gorman and Jesus Ramirez, IUOE Local 399 | Davida Russell, NCLF 53:22

7d ago53:22

53:22

On today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, two representatives from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399—Business Agent Pat O'Gorman and Organizer Jesus Ramirez—shared insights into the Local’s efforts to organize in Chicago’s labor landscape. Local 399 represents over 10,000 skilled maintenance employees work…

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Jordan Barab | Frank Manzo, ILEPI 57:04

8d ago57:04

57:04

On today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, former Occupational Safety and Health Administration Deputy Assistant Secretary and health and safety advocate Jordan Barab discussed the critical state of worker safety in America. As the author of the Confined Space newsletter and an expert with decades of experience, Barab offered a d…

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Films of Ideas: Rope w/Nicci Gerrard & Sean French 59:17

8d ago59:17

59:17

Today it’s the first in our series of live episodes recorded at the Regent Street Cinema in London: David talks to the crime writers Nicci Gerrard and Sean French (aka Nicci French) about Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope (1948), based on Patrick Hamilton’s play of the same name, itself based on the real-life case of Leopold and Loeb. What is the true subjec…

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Tony Johnston, CCCTU Local 1600 | Melissa Cropper, OFT 54:49

9d ago54:49

54:49

On today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, we featured Tony Johnston, President of the Cook County College Teachers Union Local 1600, which represents nearly 5,000 members across Chicago and its suburbs. As union negotiations loom, Johnston discussed the organization’s priorities, including the challenges members face due to Chic…

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Carrie Lee Patterson, AEA | Jay Edwards, Former Ohio State Rep. 52:46

10d ago52:46

52:46

Today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast spotlights Carrie Lee Patterson, a multifaceted arts professional and proud member of four unions. As an actor, director, writer and dialect coach, Patterson is affiliated with Actors' Equity Association, SAG-AFTRA, the American Guild of Musical Artists and the Society of Stage Directors and…

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Politics on Trial: Nelson Mandela vs Apartheid 1:05:07

11d ago1:05:07

1:05:07

Today’s episode explores the trials of Nelson Mandela, variously charged by South Africa’s apartheid state with treason, incitement, illegal foreign travel, sabotage and conspiracy across a decade that saw him more often in court than out. How did Mandela defend himself? What changed from his first trial to his last? Could any justice be found in a…

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NFL Week 14 + Roach vs Pitbull & LeBron Streak Snapped 1:40:26

12d ago1:40:26

1:40:26

Welcome back to The Benchwarmer Podcast! Today’s episode is packed with huge moments across the NFL, boxing, the NBA, and WWE. 🏈 NFL Week 14 We break down key matchups, predictions, upset alerts, and playoff implications. 🥊 Lamont Roach Jr vs Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz for the WBC Super Lightweight Title Thoughts on the matchup, styles, and what’s at sta…

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Anna-Marta Visky, CWA District 1 | Andrew Strom, Labor Lawyer 55:05

13d ago55:05

55:05

On today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Anna-Marta Visky, NJ Political and Field Director for District 1 of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), joined the podcast to discuss the pressing issue of healthcare affordability for public employees in New Jersey. Andrew Strom, labor lawyer and adjunct professor at Brooklyn L…

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Charlotte Brody, BlueGreen Alliance | Will Lindsay, BMWED 53:32

14d ago53:32

53:32

Charlotte Brody, Vice President of Occupational and Environmental Health at the BlueGreen Alliance, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the importance of workplace health regulations, challenges from the Trump Administration to these protections and the crucial role of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ge…

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161 Alone in the Wild – with Isaiah Tuck 42:34

15d ago42:34

42:34

What happens when a game warden takes on one of the toughest survival challenges on TV? West Virginia's Isaiah Tuck joins Wayne to share his incredible journey from enforcing wildlife laws to braving complete isolation on the hit series Alone. Discover the mental grit, survival skills, and life lessons that come from living off the land - and why s…

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Adam Keller, The Valley Labor Report | Hannah Halbert, Policy Matters Ohio 47:47

15d ago47:47

47:47

Adam Keller, co-host of The Valley Labor Report and a leader in Alabama’s labor movement, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed what he described as troubling labor practices connected to an automotive supply chain facility in Alabama. Hannah Halbert, Executive Director of Policy Matters Ohio, joined the America’s Work Force U…

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Politics on Trial: Eichmann in Jerusalem 1:05:06

15d ago1:05:06

1:05:06

Today’s episode is about a momentous trial and the incendiary book that followed: the trial was of Adolf Eichmann, convicted by an Israeli court in 1961 of orchestrating the Holocaust, and the book was Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem (1963), which questioned the grounds on which he was prosecuted. What did Arendt mean by ‘the banality of evil…

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Frank Mathews, CWA District 4 | Dave Wondolowski, Cleveland BCTC 46:36

16d ago46:36

46:36

Frank Mathews, Administrative Director for District 4 of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to provide his thoughts on skyrocketing health care costs, the dangerous implications of the “One Touch Make Ready” (OTMR) utility pole policy and the ongoing need to protect worker safety in the face o…

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Sylvia Allegretto, CEPR | Bob Funk, LaborLab 58:59

17d ago58:59

58:59

On this episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Sylvia Allegretto, Senior Economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), offered a comprehensive look into lagging teacher compensation, or as she called it, a “teacher pay penalty” in the United States. Allegretto, who has spent over two decades researching labor economic…

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Politics on Trial: Lady Chatterley’s Lover 58:56

18d ago58:56

58:56

Today we return to our series about epoch-making trials with the case of the book they tried and failed to ban. In 1960 Penguin Books was prosecuted at the Old Bailey under the new Obscene Publications Act (1959) over its plans to produce a cheap, unexpurgated edition of D. H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover. How did the prosecution try to persu…

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Dorsey Hager, C/COBCTC | John Paul Smith, AFL-CIO 42:41

20d ago42:41

42:41

Dorsey Hager, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, joined the America’s Workforce Union Podcast and highlighted a number of ongoing infrastructure projects in the region, the challenges and innovations brought on by harsh weather, ongoing workforce development efforts and the changing …

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Jared Ross and Lorie Thompson, South Sound BCTC | Steve South, Teamsters Local 25 1:00:03

21d ago1:00:03

1:00:03

This episode of America’s Work Force Union Podcast featured Jared Ross, Executive Secretary of the South Sound Building and Construction Trades Council — a regional council under the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council — and Dr. Lorie Thompson, regional network director for the Capital STEM Alliance. The conversation focused o…

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Paul Nolley, Project First Rate | Jody Calemine, AFL-CIO 47:44

22d ago47:44

47:44

On today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Paul Nolley, Executive Director of Project First Rate, joined the show to shine a light on his organization’s approach to promoting union construction in Rockford, Ill. and surrounding counties. Project First Rate is a partnership between union contractors and tradespeople, focusing on q…

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Ian McEwan on the Present as Future Past 1:00:44

22d ago1:00:44

1:00:44

David talks to novelist Ian McEwan, who was our first ever guest on PPF, about how the future will view our present once the disasters we are brewing come to pass. How might humanity scrape through the rest of the century? Will future generations see us as intellectually vibrant or essentially trivial? If we turn out to be unknowable to those who f…

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Dave Saucedo, Teamsters | Tim Burga, Ohio AFL-CIO 49:47

23d ago49:47

49:47

Dave Saucedo, Director of the Airline Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the ongoing struggles faced by United Airlines mechanics as they fight for better contract terms, the outsourcing of maintenance work to other countries and the challenges of securing fair contracts …

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Ted Pappageorge, Culinary Workers Union Local 226 | Merrilee Logue, NLO 50:16

24d ago50:16

50:16

This episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast featured Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer of Culinary Workers Union Local 226. Representing 60,000 members in Las Vegas, Pappageorge joined the podcast to celebrate a landmark achievement: the union's first-ever representation across every major casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The conversati…

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Now & Then with Robert Saunders: Thatcher@100 – Her Legacy 1:03:39

25d ago1:03:39

1:03:39

Today’s episode is the second part of David’s conversation with historian Robert Saunders about the life and legacy of Margaret Thatcher. What is the meaning of Thatcherism in the twenty-first century? Why is she still such a polarising figure? Was she a distinctively British political phenomenon? Which politicians can plausibly claim to be channel…

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160 Warden-Hunter Interactions 50:37

26d ago50:37

50:37

In this episode of Warden’s Watch, Wayne sits down with Ben Martin, founder of the Hunt Regs app, and Hayden Cook, a Tennessee Wildlife Officer, for a deep dive into warden-hunter interactions, safety in the field, and the story behind one of Tennessee’s most infamous poaching cases - the Maserati Buck. From practical advice for hunters to insights…

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Roxanne Brown, USW | Scott Paul, Alliance for American Manufacturing 52:32

27d ago52:32

52:32

Today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast featured Roxanne Brown, incoming President of the United Steelworkers (USW). As she prepares to become the union’s first female and first African American USW president on March 1, Brown shared her thoughts on the union's legacy of internal promotion, her personal journey within the organiza…

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Jeff Padallero, Teamsters | Greg LaRoy, Good Jobs First 1:01:26

28d ago1:01:26

1:01:26

Happy Thanksgiving! On today’s Thanksgiving Day episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Jeff Padellaro, Director of the Teamsters Brewery, Bakery and Soft Drink Conference, discussed the extraordinary battle for a first contract at Breakthru Beverage facilities across Florida. Greg LaRoy, Executive Director of Good Jobs First, joined the…

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Chris Grando, NUICA | Trish Belenson, SEIU Local 1021 54:51

29d ago54:51

54:51

On today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Chris Grando, President of the National Union Insulation Contractors Alliance (NUICA), joined the show to discuss the organization, its recent changes and ongoing challenges in the insulation industry. Representing signatory contractors and advancing the mission of partnership between la…

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Now & Then with Robert Saunders: Thatcher@100 – Her Life 1:09:28

29d ago1:09:28

1:09:28

Today’s episode in our occasional series about momentous political anniversaries with historian Robert Saunders looks at the life and legacy of Margaret Thatcher one hundred years on from her birth. What made Thatcher such a distinctive politician? What did she believe in before she became prime minister? How did her time is power alter her politic…

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Casey Van Den Heuvel, SMW Local 104 | Tom Buffenbarger 55:27

30d ago55:27

55:27

On today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Casey Van Den Heuvel, business representative for Sheet Metal Workers Local 104, shared insights into the ongoing challenges faced by union workers in California’s Monterey and Santa Cruz regions. The discussion centered on the fight to maintain Project Labor Agreements (PLA) in Watsonvi…

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Jon Schleuss, NewsGuild-CWA | Greg Regan, TTD 47:15

1M ago47:15

47:15

On today’s episode of America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Jon Schleuss, President of the NewsGuild-CWA, discussed the resolution of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette strike and highlighted the enduring power of worker unity and the challenges faced by journalists nationwide. Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) at the AFL-C…

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The Rise and Fall of Homo Sapiens 54:22

1M ago54:22

54:22

Today’s episode explores some very big picture history: David talks to palaeontologist and science writer Henry Gee about the story of the human species from origin to peak to inevitable decline. When and how did Homo sapiens see off the competition from its rivals in the human and animal world? Why did that point mark the start of an inexorable dr…

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Jeff Stoffer, American Legion | Rich Fiesta, Alliance for Retired Americans 45:39

1M ago45:39

45:39

Today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast featured Jeff Stoffer, Director of Media and Communications at the American Legion. Stoffer discussed the Legion’s advocacy during government shutdowns, efforts to combat scams targeting veterans, and the inspiring journey of a veteran-turned-entrepreneur – a feature story in the December is…

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Anton Ruesing, FTI | Pat Gallagher, North Coast Area Labor Federation 45:35

1M ago45:35

45:35

On today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Anton Ruesing, Director of the Finishing Trades Institute (FTI) of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) joined the podcast to discuss FTI’s role, the differences between union and nonunion training, FTI’s partnerships to help veterans enter the trades and workfor…

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Matthew Bruenig, NLRB Edge | Dennis Torres, Bonnie Oconer, SEIU UHW 54:44

1M ago54:44

54:44

This episode of America’s Work Force Union Podcast featured Matthew Bruenig, labor lawyer and publisher of the legal tracking platform NLRB Edge. Bruenig discussed his motivation for launching an accessible and affordable resource for tracking National Labor Relations Board rulings, and then discussed the bipartisan Faster Labor Contracts Act. The …

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Trump-like Leadership in German History w/Chris Clark: Part 2 – Chancellor, Tyrant, Emperor? 58:54

1M ago58:54

58:54

Part two of David’s conversation with historian Chris Clark asks whether the best historical insights into Trump-like leadership come from comparison with kings or commoners, democrats or dictators. Does Trump’s leadership style share much if anything with an epoch-making politician like Bismarck? Should Trump’s public persona be understood as stan…

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Melissa Cropper, OFT | Jeff Bryant, Our Schools 49:49

1M ago49:49

49:49

On today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT), joined the podcast to discuss organizing campaigns in public libraries, recent and controversial legislation in Ohio on child labor and ongoing legal battles over the state's teacher retirement system (STRS). Jeff Bryan…

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Cristina Hooper, SEIU Local 1107 | Hannah Halbert, Policy Matters Ohio 44:03

1M ago44:03

44:03

On today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Cristina Hooper, a medical social worker and Service Employees International Union Local 1107 member at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, joined us to discuss what it took to win the first union contract at Sunrise Hospital. Hannah Halbert, Executive Director of Policy Matters Ohio, joined …