First, we talk about free trade, in particular, the Korea Free Trade Agreement. On the campaign trail in 2008 Barack Obama called the trade agreement “bad for America workers”, but now he’s announced that he’s moving forward on the deal. What’s with the change of heart? And how could the deal affect working people in Oregon? Then, we turn out attention to young workers who have been hit particularly hard by the economy. Be it high levels of unemployment or lack of insurance, young workers seem have inherited an economic mess. But, does this mean that young workers are clamoring to join the labor movement. We will speak with a young organizer who is working with the next generation of rank-and-file union activists to build strong leaders for decades to come. ~Arthur Stamoulis, Director of the Oregon Fair Trade Campaign. The Oregon Fair Trade Campaign’s affiliates include labor unions, community organizations and environmental groups across the state that recognize that trade agreements ~Lydia Hallay, founder and organizer of the Next Wave, a committee of Oregon AFSCME that engages members 35 and younger.

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 “We are in the middle of a whirlwind of struggle and opportunities for fundamental change abound; it’s just a question of how we use them.”

...Or so say the members of Team Colors, a self-described “militant research” collective, who have just released a provocative new book called Uses of a Whirlwind: Movement, Movements, and Contemporary Radical Currents in the United States. Team Colors says it aims “to provide 'strategic analysis for intervention into everyday life'.” The dozens of essays collected in the book offer glimpses into some of the most exciting contemporary social movements in the U.S. and a lot of sharp analysis about the challenges and strategies in what Team Colors calls “the ongoing war against state and capital.”  We hear from some of the book’s editors and contributors, including reflections on the work of Family Farm Defenders, Domestic Workers United, Student/Farmworker Alliance, and more.

Guests:

• Kevin Van Meter, Stevie Peace, and Craig Hughes, members of Team Colors and co-editors of the book
• John Peck, Executive Director of Family Farm Defenders
• Priscilla Gonzalez, Director of Domestic Workers United
• Marc Rodrigues, National Co-Coordinator with the Student/Farmworker Alliance
• Brian Marks, scholar of Geography and Development

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Massene Mboup, teacher and union activist at the Portland French School is interviewed by host Jamie Partridge.  Mboup, with a background of union leadership in his native Senegal, details management intimidation tactics, including deportation threats to this largely immigrant workforce.  Two of the Associated French School Employee leaders have been fired as the struggle heats up.

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Why is the World Trade Organization so interested in how people get their mail? Peter Shapiro interviews Jim Sauber, Chief of Staff and Research Director for the National Association of Letter Carriers, about WTO threats to JapanPost and what they mean to for the continued health of public mail service in this country. Then co-host Jamie Partridge has an election night conversation with Barbara Dudley of the Oregon Working Families Party about the party's program, its strategy, and what fusion voting can do to expand the political influence of working people.

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