Episode Details

On this edition of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, we tackle two critical fronts of the labor movement in 2026: the life-and-death stakes of public healthcare staffing in California and a high-level analysis of national economic and political instability.

Segment 1: Solano County’s Mental Health "Emergency"

Solano County’s behavioral health workforce isn't warning of a future risk—they are describing a present-tense catastrophe. Sarah Soroken, a licensed marriage and family therapist and SEIU Local 1021 member, joins the podcast to discuss why 2,000 county workers recently walked out on a two-day strike.

• The Vacancy Gap: With 200 open positions in Health and Social Services, remaining staff are facing "moral injury" and burnout while patients face dangerous waitlists.
• The Human Cost: Why union-driven staffing demands are a public health issue in a county that ranks 15th out of 58 in California suicide rates.
• Budgetary Myths: A look at union "deep dives" into county finances that challenge claims of a financial crisis.

Segment 2: Union Rights at a Breaking Point

Retired International President of the Machinists Union (IAMAW), Tom Buffenbarger, provides a sobering diagnosis of a country he says has slipped into a 1960s-style crisis—only worse.

• The Investigation Gap: Buffenbarger explains why he trusts state leadership, such as Minnesota AG Keith Ellison, over federal investigators following recent tragedies in Minneapolis.
• The Tariff Price Tag: How trade brinkmanship with Canada is hitting the grocery store (milk, eggs, cereal) and industrial supply chains of working families in the U.S.
• Organizing the Future: Why the Young Workers March on Washington (Feb. 7) represents a "bright spot" for a generation looking for stability through union rights.

Resources & Next Steps

• Join the Movement: Visit goiam.org for details on the Young Workers March.

Follow the Fight: See more SEIU 1021 and IAMAW stories on the America’s Work Force Union Podcast.