Episode Details

In today's episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, we explore two critical fronts of the labor movement: proactive workforce development in the trades and the legal defense of bargaining unit integrity.

Segment 1: Masonry’s Next Generation in Central NY

Daren Gulliver, Training Director for BAC Local 2, discusses a successful partnership with New York’s Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). Gulliver outlines how Local 2 is reaching students as early as age 17 to provide hands-on masonry fundamentals and clear pathways into registered apprenticeship programs.

• Key Insight: Why "bridge programs" and earlier recruitment are essential to combatting the skilled labor shortage while providing debt-free career stability.

Segment 2: Protecting the Bargaining Unit from Technical Exclusions

Kate Black, Field Director for AFSCME Council 65, breaks down a significant National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) unit clarification ruling involving Head Start teachers in Minnesota. Black explains how the employer used a "statutory supervisor" argument to narrow the bargaining unit and why this case serves as a warning for unions nationwide.

• Key Insight: How a single supervisory factor—effectively recommending discipline—can be used to strip workers of their union protections and what AFSCME is doing to prepare for future classification challenges.