Union Talk Podcast

Latest Episode, 6/4/26

Devices-Down, Eyes-Up, Hands-On

Live from the National Press Club, this episode of Union Talk features AFT President Randi Weingarten’s major speech laying out a new vision for how America can boost teaching and learning in the era of artificial intelligence. Its “devices-down, eyes-up, hands-on” strategy for teaching and learning focused on 10 points that address the wave of technology in our schools, while leaning into strategies that engage kids and set them up for success no matter what the future holds. Weingarten shares how she drew on many of the conversations she’s had on the podcast and in schools and communities across the country while developing the agenda.

More Episodes

3/26/26

Tackling America’s Affordability Crisis

Working people are being squeezed from every direction and finding it harder and harder to afford the basics. In this episode of Union Talk, AFT President Randi Weingarten talks with two AFT members about how rising costs are affecting them, their families, and the students and families they serve. They unpack the results of a recent survey of more than 7,500 AFT members that found 74 percent report living month to month, paycheck to paycheck. And they discuss both the tools the union is providing members to help them navigate debt and affordability issues, and what the AFT is fighting for at the bargaining table, in Congress and by holding corporations accountable to address the affordability crisis and help working people thrive.

2/2/26

Unpacking the Harvard Youth Poll with Gen Z

On this episode of Union Talk, AFT President Randi Weingarten unpacks the results of the latest Harvard Youth Poll with Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics polling director John Della Volpe and two Gen Z AFT members who share how the results line up with their own personal experiences. The poll results underscore the instability that young Americans feel about the economy, massive technological changes, our politics, and the deep hunger for change and connection. Zac Coe, a math teacher in Virginia, and Madison Eckhart, a nurse in Alaska, connect these results to their work and lives. The guests discuss the changes young people are seeking to build a better future and ensure they have economic and political agency.

12/18/25

A Transformational Approach to Public Education in Rural America

Take a trip to a rural corner of southeast Ohio, where New Lexington schools are unlocking real opportunity for students and offering a blueprint for relevant and engaging public schools that meet the needs of local communities. On this episode of Union Talk, AFT President Randi Weingarten talks with educators and a student about how New Lexington’s approach to hands-on learning, career exploration, and student well-being is driving student engagement, providing students real ownership over their futures and breathing new life into a rural community deep in Appalachia.

11/6/25

Taking on Trump on Student Debt—and Winning

For months, the Trump administration has illegally blocked people from accessing student debt relief they are entitled to. The AFT took President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon to court for their student loan lawlessness—and won! In this episode of Union Talk, AFT President Randi Weingarten discusses what this court victory means for borrowers, how people can access relief, and the union's continued fight to get people debt relief and make college affordable for all. Weingarten is joined by Protect Borrowers Legal Director Winston Berkman-Breen to review the impact of the case. She is also joined by two AFT members who were caught in the Trump administration's web of confusion and chaos on student debt: Corey Mason, a teacher in Connecticut, who finally got her debt forgiven after fighting for it with her union, and Stephanie Solis, a nurse in Ohio, who is still fighting for the relief she's entitled to.

10/6/25

Healthcare Under Attack. Nurses Share the Impacts of Trump’s Government Shutdown

AFT President Randi Weingarten is joined by three nurses to take us to the frontlines of the Trump and congressional Republican government shutdown. They share how the shutdown and continued attacks on healthcare are impacting them, their patients and their communities. Without action, millions of Americans will lose healthcare, hospitals will close, and premiums will skyrocket. The nurses take us inside their hospitals to talk about the real-life impacts of the decisions by the president and congressional Republicans to shut down the government rather than fix healthcare for Americans.

8/28/25

A Back-to-School Season Like No Other

AFT President Randi Weingarten talks to educators about their aspirations and anxieties as they enter a new school year. This is a back-to-school period like no other, fueled by anxieties over historic federal cuts, raids tearing children and families apart, city occupations, and fears about the future of our country. Weingarten and educators discuss how this is impacting schools and students and how educators continue to show up to teach, support, nurture and help students reach their dreams.

6/27/25

The Big Betrayal

6/11/25

World Pride

4/23/25

Higher Education Under Attack

3/25/25

Economic Opportunity or Destruction?

2/27/25

Wrecking Ball: Teachers on the Devastating Impact Trump’s Education Cuts Will Have on Kids

1/17/25

Union Talk ON STRIKE: Oregon Healthcare Professionals Stand Up for Better Care Conditions

12/18/24

Finding Common Ground

11/18/24

The Power and Future of Unions with Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su

11/3/24

2024 Election Ground Game

10/29/24

The Very Real Dangers of Trump’s Project 2025

9/30/24

Keep Marching, Progress is Possible

9/20/24

Behind the Scenes of the DNC with Minyon Moore

8/19/24

Union Talk Keeping Teachers Ahead of the AI Curve

7/24/24

AFT President Randi Weingarten’s 2024 State of the Union Speech

6/27/24

Special Education Done Right

6/20/24

A Union Talk Recap: Pride and Power

5/16/24

AFT Celebrates 10 Million-Book Giveaway and the Power of Reading

5/8/24

A Union Talk Recap: Teacher Appreciation Week with ‘Abbott Elementary’ Actor Sheryl Lee Ralph

4/30/24

The Transformative Power of Community Schools

4/16/24

Experiential Learning: Where Passion Meets Purpose, with Gov. Wes Moore

3/28/24

Standing Together: Fighting for a Unified Israel

3/21/24

Women’s Rights in Focus: Celebrating Women’s History Month

2/27/24

We Were There: To Rustin, with Love, Part 1

2/27/24

We Were There: To Rustin, with Love, Part 2

2/20/24

The Promise and Threats of AI with Rep. Ro Khanna

2/13/24

A Union Talk Excerpt: Teaching Honest History

2/7/24

A Union Talk Excerpt: Finding the Real Rosa Parks

1/30/24

A Union Talk Excerpt—After the Shootings: How to Help Our Kids and Ourselves

1/16/24

How to Preserve Democracy in 2024

12/27/23

Innovation and Tech Partnerships Expand Career-Focused, Hands-On Learning in NY

12/20/23

Pro-Student, Pro-Public School Victories in School Board Elections

11/22/23

A ‘Union Talk’ Excerpt: Are School Vouchers Good for Education?

11/13/23

The Core Values of the AFT

11/6/23

How to Rescue Teachers from ‘Beyond Burnout’

10/16/23

A ‘Real Solutions’ Excerpt: Engaging Students Through Career and Technical Education

10/10/23

A ‘Real Solutions’ Excerpt: Social Media and Our Kids

10/2/23

Real Solutions: Creating Joyful and Confident Readers

10/2/23

Real Solutions: Creating Joyful and Confident Readers

9/25/23

The Promise of Community Schools

9/1/23

The Real Lives of Teachers

7/28/23

How Education Is Bridging the Divides Between Jews and Arabs

7/25/23

Randi Weingarten’s Keynote Speech at TEACH

6/27/23

Pride and Power

6/23/23

Engaging Students Through Career and Technical Education

5/8/23

Teacher Appreciation Week with ‘Abbott Elementary’ Actor Sheryl Lee Ralph

3/29/23

In Defense of Public Education

3/20/23

Why Workers Need Paid Leave Now

2/28/23

Finding the Real Rosa Parks with Soledad O’Brien

2/22/23

Are School Vouchers Good for Education?

2/3/23

The Promise of Community Schools

1/31/23

Randi Weingarten Goes One-On-One with Govs. Michelle Lujan Grisham and J. B. Pritzker

12/20/22

Reading Opens the World: Building a Nation of Confident, Joyous Readers

12/12/22

How to Fix the Healthcare Staffing Shortage

11/4/22

2022 Midterm Roundtable with Congressional Candidates Nikki Budzinski, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Rep. Jahana Hayes and Robert Zimmerman

10/3/22

Solutions to the nationwide teacher and school staff shortages

9/16/22

White House “Back to School” Panel Discussion

8/5/22

2022 American Federation of Teachers Convention Highlights

7/21/22

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten’s 2022 State of the Union Speech

6/21/22

After the Shootings: How to Help Our Kids and Ourselves

6/9/22

Guns and Hate: Buffalo, Uvalde and Other Tragedies

5/12/22

Social Media and Our Kids: A Conversation with Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen

1/21/22

Omicron, Boosters and Schools

12/08/21

Teaching Honest History

11/22/21

COVID-19 Vaccines and Children

11/01/21

Do you have student debt? New Changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and how this can help you!

10/07/21

From the Bedside: A Conversation with Nurses Caring for COVID Patients

09/22/21

Prioritizing Student and Staff Safety in the Classroom

09/04/21

Labor Day with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh

09/04/21

A Safe Back to School for All

About UnionTalk

On Union Talk, AFT president Randi Weingarten interviews workers, policymakers and experts who are confronting the issues working families face and championing solutions. From the classroom to the bargaining table to Congress to the streets, Union Talk looks at the past, present and possible ways the labor movement and unions are vehicles to secure opportunity, justice and a voice in our democracy for all. Different episodes of Union Talk do deep dives on great public schools and affordable higher education, healthcare as a right, unions, an economy that works for all and what it takes to maintain a thriving democracy. Union Talk tells the stories that demonstrate that together we can accomplish for our families and communities what is impossible to do alone.