Feb. 3, 2026 marked the three-year anniversary of the Norfolk Southern train derailment and chemical disaster in East Palestine, OH—one of the worst industrial disasters in US history. Over the last three years, residents have been exploited and abandoned by Norfolk Southern, the government, opportunistic politicians, sensationalist media outlets, and self-serving attorneys, but we have not forgotten them. On the three-year anniversary of the day that changed their small-town lives forever, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez was on the ground in East Palestine speaking with residents about their lives and needs today. Here is what they said... Additional links/info:

• Ohio Valley Derailment Mutual Aid Facebook page and fundraiser
• Chemically Impacted Communities Coalition (CICC) website
• Golomb Research Group (UCSD) website and East Palestine Health Effects Study website
• Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, "America's toxic future looks like East Palestine, Ohio, today" (click for a full list of all of Max's East Palestine reporting for TRNN over the last three years)

Featured Music:

• Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song

Credits:

• Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

Hundreds of union nurses, federal workers, and local residents gathered outside the Veterans Affairs central office building in Washington, DC, on Jan. 28, to hold a vigil for Alex Pretti and all who have been killed by ICE. The vigil was one of many events organized or co-sponsored by National Nurses United, the nation's largest union and professional association of registered nurses, which has forcefully called for ICE to be abolished in the wake of Pretti's killing. We speak with attendees of the vigil in this on-the-ground edition of Working People. Additional links/info:

• Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, "'A hero': Nurses, federal workers honor Alex Pretti (Documentary Report)"
• Maximillian Alvarez Working People / The Real News Network, "Largest nurses union calls to abolish ICE after Alex Pretti killing: 'They messed with the wrong profession'"
• National Nurses United: "Week of action in honor of Alex Pretti, RN and all others killed by ICE"
• National Nurses United press release (1/24/26): "National Nurses United outraged by murder of VA registered nurse by immigration agents, demand abolition of ICE"
• National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United website, Facebook page, Twitter/X page, and Instagram

Credits:

• Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

On Friday, Jan. 23, around 50,000 people in Minneapolis, MN, engaged in a historic mass strike and day of protest to demand an end to ICE terror and President Trump's federal siege of Minnesota. Then, on Saturday, Jan. 24, an ICE agent shot and killed Alex Pretti, volunteer ICE observer and a registered union nurse who worked for the Veterans Health Administration. In this episode, we speak with Mary C. Turner, a registered nurse inn Minnesota and a member of the Council of Presidents of National Nurses United, the largest nurses union in the US, which is now forcefully calling for the abolition of ICE. Additional links/info:

• National Nurses United: "Week of action in honor of Alex Pretti, RN and all others killed by ICE"
• National Nurses United press release (1/24/26): "National Nurses United outraged by murder of VA registered nurse by immigration agents, demand abolition of ICE"
• National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United website, Facebook page, Twitter/X page, and Instagram
• Devon Lum & Haley Willis, The New York Times, "Videos show moments in which agents killed a man in Minneapolis"
• Thomas Birmingham & Ari Bloomekatz, In These Times, "A staggering number of Minnesotans took to the streets Friday to demand ICE leave. The next day, ICE responded by killing another resident"
• Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, "Trump plans massive military parade while cutting veteran jobs, benefits, & healthcare"
• Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, "Trump cuts leave VA hospital nurses and veteran patients in a crisis"

Credits:

• Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

The state of Minnesota is under siege by our own federal government, and residents—immigrant and US-born alike—are living in fear. With the deployment of over 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota in recent weeks, this is the Trump administration's largest and most violent so-called "immigration enforcement" operation yet—and with President Trump threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota in response to protests over ICE's terror campaign, the situation on the ground is extremely volatile. Amid this federal invasion, unions, community organizations, faith leaders, and small businesses in Minnesota are calling for a statewide day of "no work (except for emergency services), no school, and no shopping" on January 23. In this urgent episode, we speak with three union members and organizers in the Twin Cities—Daniel Troccoli, Douglas Williams, and Janette Corcelius—about the situation on the ground in Minnesota, and about the proposed mass strike this Friday. Additional links/info:

• 1/23: ICE OUT OF MN call to action and Facebook event page
• 1/23 ICE OUT OF MN Org Sign Up
• Sarah Lazare & Amie Stager, In These Times, "'We are facing a tsunami of hate': Amid ICE crackdown, unions and community groups call for Minnesota shutdown in 10 Days"
• Luis Feliz Leon, Labor Notes, "Will ICE ignite a mass strike in Minnesota?"
• Suzanne Gamboa, Shaquille Brewster, & Colin Sheeley, NBC News, "Immigration officers around Minneapolis are approaching people and demanding proof that they're U.S. citizens"
• Rachel Leingang & Maanvi Singh, The Guardian, "'Make no mistake, this is an occupation': ICE's deadly presence casts long shadow over Minneapolis"
• Joseph Cox, 404 Media, "Inside ICE's tool to monitor phones in entire neighborhoods"
• John Hamilton, Democracy Now!, "ICE vs. People of Minnesota: A special report on community resistance to Trump's militarized crackdown"

Featured Music:

• Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song

Credits:

• Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

On Monday, Nov. 24, after more than 1,100 days on strike, Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh members were cheered on by supporters at a rally in downtown Pittsburgh before returning to work at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Even though strikers have returned to work, however, many issues at the center of the strike are still in legal limbo—and their fight for a fair contract is not over. In this episode of Working People, we speak with three Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh members—Bob Batz. Jr, Natalie Duleba, and Steve Mellon—about where things stand now, how their lives have changed since returning to work, and what it takes to hold the picket line for over three years. Additional links/info:

• Pittsburgh Union Progress website
• Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh website, Facebook page, and Instagram
• Bob Batz Jr. & Steve Mellon, Pittsburgh Union Progress, "Pittsburgh journalists vote to end country's longest strike and notify the PG they are returning to work"
• Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, "Post-Gazette strikers send company return to work offer"
• Sara Scire, Nieman Lab, "What newsroom organizers learned from the years-long strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette"

Featured Music:

• Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song

Credits:

• Audio Post-Production: Alina Nehlich

Making ends meet in today's economy is difficult enough, but with so many societal crises affecting working people's lives on and off the shop floor—from mass layoffs to untenable costs of living, from an authoritarian federal government to AI and the climate crisis—it can feel all but impossible. What does it mean to have a union job, to be a union member, and to be part of the labor movement in these overwhelming times? What role do unions and other labor organizations have to play, not just in the fight for economic justice, but in the fight for democracy, civil rights, the rule of law, and a livable planet? We posed these questions to a range of emerging labor leaders from different unions and worker centers enrolled in the 2025-26 Minnesota Union Leadership Program (MULP). Here's what they told us…

Additional links/info:

• Minnesota Union Leadership Program website

• Workday Magazine website

• Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, "What good is a union in Hell?"

Featured Music:

• Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song

Credits:

• Audio Post-Production: Alina Nehlich

Four years after the first Starbucks store in the US unionized in 2021, workers across the country are still facing rampant union busting and still fighting for a first contract with the coffee giant. That is why a supermajority of unionized baristas with Starbucks Workers United recently voted to authorize an Unfair Labor Practice strike, which is set to begin on Thursday, Nov. 13, on "Red Cup Day," in over 25 cities around the US. "Union baristas mean business and are ready to do whatever it takes to win a fair contract and end Starbucks' unfair labor practices," says Michelle Eisen, Starbucks Workers United spokesperson and 15-year veteran barista. "If Starbucks keeps stonewalling, they should expect to see their business grind to a halt. The ball is in Starbucks' court." In this urgent episode, we speak with Eisen about the impending strike and the state of the yearslong union struggle at Starbucks. Additional links/info:

• "No Contract, No Coffee!" website
• Starbucks Workers United website, Facebook page, Bluesky page, Instagram, and TikTok
• Starbucks Workers United press release: "With 92% 'Yes' vote, union Starbucks baristas overwhelmingly authorize ULP strike"
• Dee-Ann Durbin, Associated Press, "Starbucks' union workers plan strike next week unless company agrees to a contract"
• Alina Selyukh, NPR, "Starbucks is closing more stores and laying off 900 workers"
• Michael Sainato, The Guardian, "A year under CEO Niccol: Starbucks workers' long fight for a union contract"

Featured Music:

• Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song

Credits:

• Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

Life on college campuses has changed dramatically in the last 10 months. While institutions of higher education continue to reel from the Trump administration's top-down attacks and scramble to adjust, workers on campus say that their universities are simultaneously expanding their own internal repression and surveillance apparatuses to squash dissent. In this episode, we speak with a panel of graduate student workers and union members from Columbia University and the University of Michigan about the chilling new reality on their campuses and what it's like to live, learn, and work there today. Panelists include; Vayne, a PhD candidate in history at Columbia University and a member of the bargaining committee for Student Workers of Columbia; Conlan Olson, a PhD student in computer science at Columbia University and a member of the bargaining committee for Student Workers of Columbia; Jared Eno, a grad worker in sociology and public policy at the University of Michigan and a rank-and-file member of the Graduate Employees Organization. Additional links/info:

• Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) website, Instagram, Facebook page, and X page
• Student Workers of Columbia-UAW Local 2710 website, Instagram, Facebook page, and X page
• Email zap info: "Reject UMPD's attack on anti-genocide activists!"
• Glenn Hedin & Barrett Dolata, The Michigan Daily, "Three pro-Palestine activists arrested for protesting speech given by former Israeli soldiers"
• Student Workers of Columbia press release: "Columbia threatens discipline for union picket, extends repression to labor action"
• 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"
• Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, "'Worse' than McCarthyism: Trump's war on higher education, free speech, and political dissent"
• Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, "'A tremendous chilling effect': Columbia students describe dystopian reality on campus amid Trump attacks"
• Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, "'People are hiding in their apartments': Inside Trump's assault on universities"

Credits:

• Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song
• Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

In September, before the current ceasefire deal was announced, we spoke with two Palestinians in Gaza—Mohamed Abu Tawila (a former English teacher) and his nephew Abdul Rahman (a would-be college student)—about surviving 700 days of genocidal destruction at the hands of Israel's military and with the full backing of the United States. In this critical follow-up episode, we speak once again with Mohamed Abu Tawila from Gaza to get an on-the-ground account of life for Palestinians after the shaky implementation of the ceasefire began on Oct. 10.

Additional links/info:

• Mohamed's Instagram account
• Living Water Mutual Aid in Gaza Chuffed fundraiser page and Instagram account
• GoFundMe campaign to support Mohamed's water delivery operation and his family
• Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, "'Hearts are crying and bodies are bleeding': Gazans describe their daily struggle to survive"
• Tareq S. Hajjaj, Mondoweiss, "Israel's repeated ceasefire violations are part of its strategy to keep waging war on Gaza"
• DropSite News, "Israel kills over 100 Palestinians in overnight bombardment of Gaza; thousands killed in Sudan's El-Fasher"

Featured Music:

• Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song

Credits:

• Audio Post-Production: Alina Nehlich

In this special crossover edition of Working People and The Marc Steiner Show, hosts Maximillian Alvarez and Marc Steiner examine how the "artificial intelligence" (AI) boom is shaping the economy and the impact it is already having—and will continue to have—on working people's lives, livelihoods, and jobs. Alvarez and Steiner speak with two members of a new mutual aid and advocacy group called Stop Gen AI, which formed this year out of the critical need to provide material support for creatives, knowledge workers, and anyone else impacted by generative AI.

Guests:

• Kim Crawley is a former cybersecurity professor and co-author of The Pentester Blueprint. She founded Stop Gen AI in May 2025 in response to the immense socioeconomic harm generative AI has done to her and her peers, and to the vast environmental, cultural, scientific, psychological, and economic harm it does to the world. Stop Gen AI is unique for its anticapitalist focus and commitment to raising survival funds for people who are struggling.

• Emmi is an information security expert with experience across many niches of the industry, including application security across a number of verticals, and she is a specialist in insider threat and cyber threat intelligence. She joined the efforts of Stop Gen AI in 2025 due to the overwhelming amount of friends she has seen lose their entire lives and careers due to the out-of-control AI bubble. She also has nearly two decades of experience with boots-on-the-ground union organizing, protesting, and activism.

Additional links/info:

• Stop Gen AI website and Mastodon page

• Stop Gen AI Twitch Fest information

• Khiree Stewart, WBALTV 11, "'Just holding a Doritos bag': Student handcuffed after AI system mistook bag of chips for weapon"

• Marc Steiner & Maximillian Alvarez, The Marc Steiner Show, "Trump and Silicon Valley's plan to rule the world with AI weapons"

Featured Music:

• Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song

• Stephen Frank, Marc Steiner Show Theme Song

Credits:

• Studio Production: David Hebden

• Audio Post-Production: Alina Nehlich

The federal government shutdown is now in its fourth week. Over 700,000 federal employees have been furloughed, with nearly as many continuing to work without pay, yet there are still no signs that an end to the shutdown is near. "Unlike past presidents, Mr. Trump appears to feel little urgency to strike a deal to reopen the government," Luke Broadwater writes at The New York Times. "Instead, he has used the shutdown, which began Oct. 1, as an opportunity to further remake the federal bureaucracy and jettison programs he does not like, seizing on unorthodox budgetary maneuvers that some have called illegal." In this episode, we speak with three furloughed federal employees about the harm government shutdowns cause working people, and we discuss why this shutdown is different.

Guests:

• Adam is a furloughed federal employee who works in recreation for the US Forest Service, managing hiking, biking, and equestrian trails in central Idaho. He serves as chapter president of National Federation of Federal Employees Local 1753, and he is an organizer with the Federal Unionists Network.
• Ellen is a furloughed federal employee who works in SNAP oversight and administration at the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. She serves as chapter president of National Treasury Employees Union Local 255, representing FNS employees at the Northeast regional office, and she is an organizer with the Federal Unionists Network in Boston.
• April is a furloughed federal employee who works in the office of Head Start at the Administration for Children and Families HQ in Washington, DC. She serves as chapter president of the National Treasury Employees Union Local 250.

Additional links/info:

• Federal Unionists Network website, BlueSky, and Instagram
• Federal Unionists Network: "Join Us To Defend Public Services!"
• Luke Broadwater, The New York Times, "The Shutdown Is Stretching On. Trump Doesn't Seem to Mind."
• Democracy Now!, "Shadow president: Project 2025 architect Russell Vought is using shutdown to gut federal agencies"

Featured Music:

• Jules Taylor, "Working People" Theme Song

Credits:

• Featured music: Jules Taylor, "Working People" Theme Song
• Audio Post-Production: Alina Nehlich