The Workers’ Mic | WGN Radio 720 - Chicago's Very Own

This week on The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL, Phil Davidson, Communications Director, Mid America Regional Council of Carpenters, and Isabel (Izzy) Dobbel, Political Director at Chicago Federation of Labor take the reigns while Ken Edwards and Ed Maher take the week off. They talk with Brian Shanahan, National Vice-President of the Transportation Communications Union/IAM, to talk about what is happening in the […]

This week on The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL, Ken Edwards and Phil Davidson, Communications Director, Mid America Regional Council of Carpenters, talk with Eric Chaudron, Executive Director SAG-AFTRA Chicago, and Charles Andrew Gardner, SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local President, about the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

This week on The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL, Ken Edwards and Ed Maher are joined by Chief Executive Officer at Premise Health, Stu Clark. He talks about their new healthcare model and the new health and wellness center in Northbrook, IL. Ken and Ed also share what’s happening in the UAW strike, as well as a […]

This week on The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL, Ed Maher returns from vacation to share the latest news in labor with Ken Edwards. Karen Kent, President of UNITE HERE Local 1, joins the show and details the big win for the workers at the Kinzie Hotel Chicago lockout.

To celebrate Labor Day on The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL, Ed Maher takes the week off while Ken Edwards and Phil Davidson, Communications Director, Mid America Regional Council of Carpenters, talk with Professor Bob Bruno, Director of the Labor Studies Program and a Professor of Labor and Employment at the University of Illinois. Bob shares the origins of Labor Day, […]

On this episode of The Workers’ Mic, Powered by MCL, Ken Edwards and Ed Maher are reunited and they cover the abundance of labor news this week including Starbucks’ attempt to remove unions, the United Auto Workers strike, and the nurses’ strike in Joliet, IL. Plus, Ken and Ed learn a little bit of WGN history!

Phil Davidson, Communications Director, Mid America Regional Council of Carpenters, hits the trifecta by stepping in for Ken Edwards for the third week in a row on The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL. He and Ed Maher spend this week discussing tip fatigue, Starbucks refusal to negotiate with it’s workers, the reinstatement push for card check, and a […]

Ken Edwards does some post-shark week celebrating and Phil Davidson, Communications Director, Mid America Regional Council of Carpenters, joins Ed Maher once again on The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL. Ed and Phil talk with Dr. Rosemary Feurer, Professor of Labor History at Northern Illinois University, to talk about Mother Jones and the statue being erected in her […]

Ed Maher is joined by Phil Davidson, Communications Director, Mid America Regional Council of Carpenters, while Ken Edwards takes some vacation time from The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL. Ed and Phil start off with an update on the Hollywood writer’s strike and how July has been the busiest month for strikes in 30 years. They close out the show […]

Ed Maher takes a week off from The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL, while Phil Davidson, Communications Director, Mid America Regional Council of Carpenters, steps in with Ken Edwards. To kick off the show, Ken and Phil are joined by Brendan Born, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign college student to get an inside look at the future of labor […]

Megent Financial Co-Chief Executive Officer Ron Whittingham returns to talk with Ken Edwards and Ed Maher on The Worker’s Mic to discuss the benefits union members have available and also to stress the importance of financial literacy for any and all age groups. To learn more about Megent Financial and what they offer, call them at […]

On this episode of The Workers’ Mic, Powered by MCL, Ken Edwards and Ed Maher have a lot to share. To kick of the show, Ken and Ed are joined by Megent Financial Co-Chief Executive Officer Ron Whittingham who discusses the benefits union members have available and also to stress the importance of financial literacy for any and all age groups. […]

Ed Maher takes a week off from The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL, while Phil Davidson, Communications Director, Mid America Regional Council of Carpenters, steps in with Ken Edwards. Ryan Kelly, Business Representative at Machinist Union Local 126, joins the show to talk about the diversity of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the […]

The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL, returns this week as Ken Edwards and Ed Maher start things off with why they started the show and its importance, along with some of the recent comments they’ve been receiving from listeners. Then, Premise Health’s Dr. Kavitha Bathala, Medical Director at the Carpenters Center for Health, joins the show to talk about […]

Bob Reiter, President of the Chicago Federation of Labor, returns to The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL, Ken Edwards and Ed Maher to talk about his recent article on diversity in the labor movement, and about the cross-industry partnership of HIRE360 that is providing career opportunities in the Chicagoland area.

On this episode of The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL, Ken Edwards and Ed Maher have a full lineup and a surprise guest! Bob Jacobson, Executive Director for Training at the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council, and Bob Reiter, President of the Chicago Federation of Labor, join the show to discuss apprenticeship programs. Then, Premise Health’s Dr. Patty Roberts, Vice President […]

This week on The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL, Ken Edwards and Ed Maher talk with Maria Romano, Vice President Health Equity & Medical Informatics for Premise Health, about the difference between equity and equality and what that means for patients with Premise Health. Then Dr. Adam Dell, Psychologist and Director of Emotional Wellbeing at Notre Dame Wellness Center, joins […]

This week on The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL, Ken Edwards and Ed Maher kick things off with Robert E. Entin, Partner at the Labor and Employment Law Firm of FordHarrison, discussing the recent Supreme Court case involving Glacier Northwest. Later, Ken and Ed talk about a new development with the Illinois Labor Dispute Act, New York City labor effects […]

This week on The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL, Phil Davidson returns to the show with Ed Maher to talk with Dave Sullivan, lobbyist and former Illinois Senator, and Executive Director for the Indiana-Illinois-Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting Marc Poulos. They talk about changes in child labor laws and labor developments within the educational fields.

This week on The Workers’ Mic, Powered by the MCL, Ken Edwards and Ed Maher let the guests enjoy the holiday weekend while they discuss another development with Medieval Times, child labor news that includes collective action by students in schools, a current study released by MetLife, and close out with the forward movement of the 2023 Writers Guild of America […]