Episode Details

The broadcast industry is facing a "gut punch," but the labor movement is punching back.

In today’s episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast, host Ed "Flash" Ferenc navigates the two-sided reality of the 2026 labor landscape: an industry in crisis and a workforce in ascent.

Mary Cavallaro, Chief Broadcast Officer for SAG-AFTRA, delivers an unflinching look at the wave of layoffs sweeping through Nexstar and the shocking closure of the 100-year-old CBS News Radio.

• The AI Threat: How "voice cloning" and generative AI are targeting the identities of correspondents and DJs.
• The Severance Standard: Why union contracts are the only thing standing between a worker and a financial crisis during consolidation.
• A Message to Non-Union Workers: Why SAG-AFTRA is opening its doors to those without a contract.

Margaret Poydock, Senior Policy Analyst at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), joins us to reveal the blockbuster 2025 union membership data. Despite a hostile federal environment, the numbers are the highest they’ve been since 2009.

• The Southern Surprise: Why nearly half of all new union growth is happening in the South.
• Gen Z & Millennials: Breaking down the 72% favorability rate among young workers who are "done" with the status quo.
• The Representation Gap: 50 million workers want a union but can’t get one—how states are bypassing federal gridlock to fix it.

Links & Resources:

• Learn more about SAG-AFTRA: sagaftra.org
• Read the full EPI report: epi.org

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