The Leslie Marshall Show

Why Workers Need a Pro-Labor NLRB

Leslie is joined by Megan Salrin and Jimmy O'Donnell of the United Steelworkers (USW).

The trio analyzes why workers need a Pro-Labor National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

In one of his early acts as president, Donald Trump not only fired National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo but also removed NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox.
Firing Wilcox upended nearly 90 years of Supreme Court caselaw and left the NLRB unable to perform its vital mission of upholding workers’ rights.

So what is the NLRB, and why do workers depend on it to ensure they have a voice on the job?

The NLRB is an independent federal agency tasked with safeguarding workers rights in a number of ways.
        - It oversees union elections – and ensures that employers abide by the law when workers seek to organize.
        - It also prevents and remedies unfair labor practices, again ensuring that workers are free to engage in concerted activity and access their rights under the National Labor Relations Act.
   
The NLRB is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 26 different Regional Offices.
        - There are five seats on the Board, which are filled through presidential nomination and then Senate confirmation.
        - The members serve five-year terms, and the terms are staggered so that one seat is supposed to be open each year – though delays can cause vacancies to occur.
   
The NLRB shapes labor law in several ways including by issuing decisions on cases, which sets national precedent, and by issuing rule making.
        - Because the president nominates members to the board, they have the ability to influence how it operates based on their priorities.
        - Pro-worker presidents traditionally appoint members who take the job to enforce workers rights’ seriously while pro-corporate leadership effectively limits workers’ ability to form unions and collectively bargain.      
         - Under the previous administration, for example, the NLRB made key advances when it came to leveling the playing field for workers, such as banning the captive audience meetings employers too often used to try to thwart union elections.

Currently, the board is down to just two members, which means it does not have a quorum and cannot make decisions or enforce labor laws. That means:
    - Workers facing unfair treatment—like illegal firings, intimidation, or bad-faith bargaining—could be left waiting months or even years for justice.
    - Striking and organizing workers will have fewer protections.
    - Employers who break the law may get away with it if cases can’t be heard.
    - Furthermore, this upheaval has emboldened greedy corporations looking to block workers from exercising their rights.
       - For example, Whole Foods (which is owned by Amazon) is arguing that they will not recognize a union formed in January because of the lack of quorum at the Board.

An NLRB member can only be fired for serious misconduct—like neglecting their job or breaking the rules. No President has ever fired a Board member like this before, and there does not appear to be any valid reason to remove Wilcox.
    - Wilcox filed a lawsuit in response to her firing. While a DC District Court judge ruled in her favor and reinstated her, her case has gone through a number of appeals and is now headed to the Supreme Court, which recently once again removed her from her position until it can rule on the merits of the lawsuit.
      - Oral arguments are due to begin on May 16, which means between now and then the board is again hobbled.  

As more and more workers signal that they want the protections of a union contract it’s essential that we have a labor board that takes its job seriously.
    - This means allowing members like Wilcox to finish their terms.
    - And pushing our elected leaders to nominate and confirm qualified members who will take the job of protecting workers seriously.

Megan Salrin is the National Coordinator for the United Steelworkers’ Rapid Response program, the union’s nonpartisan initiative for education, communication, and action on legislative and policy issues affecting USW members. Before this role, she served in USW’s Legislative and Policy Department and worked for several Members of Congress from the Midwest.

Jimmy O'Donnell is a Legislative Representative for the USW, where he advocates for pro-worker policies related to labor rights, workplace health and safety, clean energy manufacturing, and workforce development. Previously, Jimmy spent several years working at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

Follow the USW on Facebook, Instagram and X, using the handle @steelworkers, and visit their website at USW.org. Also, check them out on Blue Sky where their handle is @steelworkers.bsky.social.

Authors of, "Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House"

The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET. 

Brad is joined by Amie Parnes, Senior Correspondent at 'The Hill,' and Jonathan Allen, Senior National Politics Reporter for NBC News.

They discuss their newest #1 New York Times best-seller, "Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House."

"The authors of the #1 New York Times bestseller 'Shattered' provide a revelatory, inside look at the Biden, Harris, and Trump camps during the 2024 battle for the White House, arguably the most consequential contest in American history."

Brad also speaks with Jon and Amie about their evaluation of Trump's first 100 days of his second term.  They also discuss the future presidential prospects of Kamala Harris, and who else might be a viable Democratic candidate for President in 2028.

Amie and Jon's book is available for purchase here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/fight-Inside-the-wildest-battle-for-the-white-house-jonathan-allen/22252142?ean=9780063438644&next=t

Brad writes a political column every Sunday for 'The Hill.' 
He's on the National Journal's panel of political insiders and is a national political analyst for WGN TV and Radio in Chicago and KNX Radio in Los Angeles. You can read Brad's columns at www.MuckRack.com/Brad-Bannon. His handle on BlueSky is @bradbannon.bsky.social. 

Why Are So Many Cannabis Workers Joining the Teamsters Union?

Leslie is joined by Jesse Case, Director for the Food Processing Division for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

The two examine why so many cannabis workers are joining the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

To add some perspective, the Teamsters represent over 1,000 cannabis workers in six different states. They've also bargained the strongest contracts in the industry for workers at a number of multi-state operators, which are the largest players in the US cannabis industry.

Tens of thousands of Teamsters across the continent are members of the union’s growing Food Processing Division. The division represents many classifications of worker, including production line workers, mechanics, forklift drivers, machine operators and more. They help prepare, process and move just about every kind of food you find at the grocery store, including meats, dairy vegetables, fruits and grains.

Visit www.Teamster.org for more information. Follow them on X and Instagram, where their handle is @Teamsters, and “like” them on Facebook at Facebook.com/Teamsters.
Find the Teamsters Cannabis workers online by visiting linktr.ee/teamsters_420.

Trump Executive Order Stripping Collective Bargaining Rights is Biggest Attack on Labor in Decades

Leslie is joined by Fred Redmond, Secretary-Treasurer of the 60 unions and 12.5 million members of the AFL-CIO. In 2022, he was unanimously elected to the position as the highest ranking African American officer in the history of America’s labor movement.

The two discuss President Trump's union busting executive order from last week. It strips the fundamental right to unionize and collectively bargain from workers across the federal government at more than 30 agencies. The workers who make sure our food is safe to eat, care for our veterans, protect us from public health emergencies and much more will no longer have a voice on the job or the ability to organize with their coworkers for better conditions at work so they can efficiently provide the services the public relies upon. It’s clear that this order is punishment for unions who are leading the fight against the administration’s illegal actions in court—and a blatant attempt to silence them. 

But if the Trump administration gets away with robbing federal workers of their right to collective bargaining with the stroke of a pen, it won’t stop there. This illegal executive order is a threat to every union, every contract, and the freedom for every single person to organize on the job and speak up for themselves and their co-workers.

Thankfully, representatives in Congress have introduced the bipartisan Protect America’s Workforce Act, which would overturn Trump’s executive order.
We are asking every single American who cares about the fundamental freedom of all workers to join a union to call their member of Congress right now. Call them at 844-896-5059.

Additionally, workers are joining with our allies and community members across the country tomorrow, April 5th, to tell President Trump and Elon Musk: Hands Off Our Unions!

America’s unions will be coming together with allies of labor at hundreds of events all across the country to send a message: Hands off our Social Security. Hands off our public schools. Hands off our Medicare. Hands off our jobs. And hands off our unions and our contracts!

Visit www.Mobilize.us/HandsOff to find an event near you!

The website for the AFL-CIO is www.AFLCIO.org and their handle on Blue Sky is @AFLCIO.org. Their handle on Facebook, Instagram and X is @AFLCIO.  Fred's handle on X is @STRedmond.

Navigating the Incresingly Difficult College Application Process

Leslie is joined by Connie Livingston, Senior Lead Counselor at Empowerly, which empowers students to become the most successful version of themselves with personalized college and career guidance.  Their tailored guidance helps students triumph over the college admissions process and spark the future of their dreams.
Connie has worked in the field of college counseling since 2008. She began her career as an Assistant Director of Admissions at Brown University and has since moved on to Empowerly, where she has worked for the past three years.

The pair examines the increasingly difficult college application process in the United States.
More and more students are applying to college. More and more applications means a lower percentage of acceptance. So the bar has been raised.
4.0's are now 5.0's, competition is international, there are no more DEI policies or 'boxes' for affirmative action/diversity.
So kids are taking SAT prep classes, doing a lot of outside work/volunteerism, etc. and additionally, parents are hiring college counselors.

Here are the questions answered during the interview:

1. What does an outside college counselor do?
2. Is there a range of fees? (Some people think it's unattainable for them because of the price)
3. Do they help the students write their essays? (editing them, etc)
4. Is there any assistance with SAT's?
5. Does it increase a student's chances of admission if they utilize a college counselor that is separate from their high school's college counselor?
6. Why is Empowerly better than a student trying to solely use AI, like ChatGPT, to help them with the admissions process?

The website for Empowerly is Empowerly.org.  Their handle on Instagram is @empowerlyinc and you can find them on Facebook.com/empowerly as well.

GOP Medicaid/CHIP Cuts Threaten One-Third of All School Age Children

Leslie is joined by Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus on Children, a bipartisan advocacy organization working to make children the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. With policy experts in the many areas that affect our nation’s more than 70 million children, First Focus on Children offers thorough, bipartisan, achievable solutions to ensure the well-being of children in the U.S. and around the world.

The two discuss how the budget resolution recently passed by House Republicans would force hundreds of billions of dollars in funding cuts to Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), which would decimate their ability to deliver health care to the more than 37 million children they currently serve.

 Medicaid and CHIP currently cover:

    - 80% of children living in poverty
    - 42% of all children under 6
    - Over 40% of births in the U.S.
    - Nearly half of the 13 million U.S. children with special health care needs
    - 99% of children in foster care
    - More than 40% of children in rural and underserved communities
    - One-third of all school-age children (5-18 years old)

Taking support away from children’s health through Medicaid/CHIP cuts is a prescription for disaster that will:

    - Force states to cut services, eligibility, or provider payments that directly affect children
    - Create significant financial pressure on children’s hospitals and pediatric specialty providers that depend heavily on Medicaid/CHIP
    - Threaten school-based health services that rely on support from Medicaid/CHIP
    - Jeopardize mental health and developmental services for children
    - Hit hardest in rural and underserved areas, exacerbating existing health disparities

You can read more about why the cuts would be so disastrous here: https://firstfocus.org/update/prescription-for-disaster-the-impact-of-proposed-medicaid-and-chip-cuts-on-childrens-health/

The website for First Focus on Children is FirstFocus.org and their handle on BlueSky is @FirstFocus.bsky.social.  Bruce's handle there is @BruceLesley.bsky.social.

Trump's 'Tariff Tuesday' and GOP Attacks on Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security

The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET.

The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns.
His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET.  

Brad is first joined by John Bennett, Editor at Large at Congressional Quarterly and Roll Call.  The pair discusses 'Tariff Tuesday,' scheduled for tomorrow by the Trump administration.  In response to the tariffs, the cost of goods and services for Americans are expected to rise, while the stock market (and people's retirement accounts) are expected to decline.

Then, Brad is joined by Alex Lawson, Executive Director of Social Security Works, which fights to address the retirement income crisis by protecting and expanding America's Social Security system. Social Security Works is the convening organization of the Strengthen Social Security Coalition— a coalition made up of over 340 national and state organizations representing over 50 million Americans.

Brad and Alex talk about the chaotic economic policies of the Trump administration, April 5th's planned protests, and the battles to save Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.
Stripping Medicaid funding could literally put Seniors in nursing homes on the streets, and deprive children with disabilities of funding for their education.
On the Social Security front, Alex explains that the Trump administration is firing staff at Social Security offices to try to cause enough chaos so that they can create an excuse to demand emergency powers to take control of Social Security.

The website for CQ Roll Call is www.RollCall.com and John's handle on X is @BennettJohnT.

The 'Social Security Works' website is www.socialsecurityworks.org and their handle on BlueSky is @socialsecurityworks.org. Alex's handle there is @alaw202.bsky.social. 

Brad writes a political column every Sunday for 'The Hill.' 
He's on the National Journal's panel of political insiders and is a national political analyst for WGN TV and Radio in Chicago and KNX Radio in Los Angeles. You can read Brad's columns at www.MuckRack.com/Brad-Bannon. His handle on BlueSky is @bradbannon.bsky.social. 

Should U.S. or China Build Our Ships?! Tariffs, and Made In American Spotlight

Leslie is joined by Scott Paul, President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), a partnership established by some of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers union. 

The two discuss why labor and business groups are urging the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to fight back against China's decades-long global shipbuilding dominance.

Next, Scott explains why anti-tariff absolutism is a mistake, and one the Democratic party would be foolish to make.

Lastly, they explore AAM's spotlighting of three great U.S. products, including Steele Canvas, BLKSWN Footwear and the 'Crafted with Pride' Made in America directory.
For over 18 years, Mr. Paul and AAM have worked to make American manufacturing a top-of-mind issue for voters and our national leaders through effective advocacy, innovative research, and a savvy public relations strategy.

Their website is www.AmericanManufacturing.org.
AAM's YouTube channel is www.youtube.com/@AmericanMfg (where you can watch episode's of AAM's podcast, "The Manufacturing Report").
If you want to listen to episodes of "The Manufacturing Report," visit www.AmericanManufacturing.org/Podcast.
X: 1. AAM - @KeepItMadeInUSA  2. Scott Paul - @ScottPaulAAM
BlueSky: @keepitmadeinusa.bsky.social

Trump's Executive Orders Are Exacerbating the Country's Mental Health Crisis

Leslie is joined by Dr. Anthony Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW-C, CEO of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).The NASW is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world. NASW works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members, to create and maintain professional standards for social workers, and to advance sound social policies.

The pair discusses Dr. Estreet's op-ed for Salon, titled, "Trump's Executive Orders Are Exacerbating the Country's Mental Health Crisis." (link here: https://www.salon.com/2025/03/12/executive-orders-are-exacerbating-the-countrys-mental-health/)

Dr. Estreet earned a bachelor’s in science in psychology from Bowie State University, an MSW at Virginia Commonwealth University, a doctorate in social work at Morgan State University, and an MBA at the University Maryland-College Park.
He has been a professor and chair of the Master of Social Work Program at Morgan State University since 2013. Estreet is also founder and chief executive officer of Next Step Treatment Center in Baltimore, which provides substance use treatment and mental health services.
The website for the NASW is SocialWorkers.org and you can follow them on BlueSky, where their handle is @naswsocialworkers.bsky.social.

Teamsters President Talks United Airlines Contract Campaign and First UNFI Agreement

Leslie is joined by Sean O'Brien, General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

They begin the interview by acknowledging the accomplishments that President O'Brien and General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman have helped their Union to achieve during their three years heading the organization.
With 80,000 new members organized, great successes at the negotiating table including many of their best contracts ever like at UPS and Anheuser-Busch, an empowered rank-and-file membership that has waged over 250 strikes and led bargaining themselves against some of the world’s largest employers, the O’Brien-Zuckerman administration has charted one of the most defining and positive chapters in Teamsters history.

Next, Sean shares with the audience the Union's contract campaign with their 10,000 Teamsters aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs). They're fighting for a fair contract with United, who raked in over $4 billion dollars in profits last year, but is lowballing the Teamsters at the bargaining table.
At the same time, the airline wants to outsource maintenance to communist China and South America.
Sean explains how United Airlines Teamsters are ensuring safety in the skies, and that Teamster members will not accept anything less than a strong new contract with the industry-leading wages and job protections they have earned.

Lastly, Leslie and Sean discuss how, following a credible strike threat, more than 1,000 newly organized drivers and warehouse workers at United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) in Florida, Georgia, and Illinois have ratified their first Teamsters contracts.
Represented by Teamsters Locals 26, 79, 728, and 769, UNFI workers have secured agreements that deliver significant wage increases, improved benefits, and a defined benefit pension plan. 

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit www.Teamster.org for more information. Follow them on X and Instagram, where their handle is @Teamsters, and “like” them on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Teamsters.
Sean's handle on X is @TeamsterSOB.