LaborForce Media launches Partners in Labor with Rick Smith, bringing forward the people, perspectives, and partnerships that strengthen unions and support working families.
A strong labor movement needs people willing to stand together—and people willing to explain why that solidarity matters.
Some carry a union card. Others grew up in a household where a union paycheck meant groceries, healthcare, and a chance at a better future. Some negotiate contracts, organize workers, or defend their rights. Others lead businesses, develop services, or advocate for policies that support good union jobs.
Their roles differ. Their connection is a belief that working people deserve a voice, dignity, and a fair opportunity to build a secure life.
That connection is at the heart of Partners in Labor with Rick Smith, a new podcast presented by LaborForce Media. Now available through all major podcast listening platforms, the series explores the people behind the commitment—and what being a partner in labor means in practice.
Behind Every Partnership Is a Story
Labor is often covered through a moment of conflict: a strike, a contract dispute, a legislative battle. Those stories deserve attention. But they capture only part of the work that sustains unions and the communities around them.
There is also the organizer helping someone find their voice. The family member who understands what a hard-won benefit means when illness strikes. The employer investing in a skilled union workforce. The service provider listening closely enough to understand what members actually need.
Partners in Labor creates space for those stories.
Through conversations with Rick Smith, guests can discuss their connection to unions, the experiences that shaped their views, and the work they are doing to support working people.
The series welcomes union leaders, members, and family members, along with vendor partners, union employer groups, elected officials, and others who support labor unions. It brings their different perspectives into a shared conversation about responsibility, opportunity, and the future of working America.
Partnership Has to Mean Something
Being a partner in labor carries a responsibility to understand the people behind the organization.
Union members work different shifts, face different hazards, and support families with different needs. A solution that looks good in a presentation must also work when someone needs care, seeks help with a benefit, starts an apprenticeship, or prepares for retirement.
Meaningful partnership begins with listening. It grows through follow-through, respect for workers’ voices, and a willingness to stay engaged when the work becomes difficult.
For an employer, that may mean investing in training and safe working conditions. For a benefits partner, it may mean making services easier for members to understand and use. For a public official, it may mean explaining how policy choices affect collective bargaining and the security of working families.
The podcast provides an opportunity to explore those commitments in the guests’ own words—and help listeners understand the people making them.
Conversations with Rick Smith
As host, Rick brings a focus on working people to conversations that connect individual experiences with larger labor issues.
Listeners can expect discussions about workers’ rights, healthcare, financial security, organizing, workplace safety, and the relationships that help unions serve their members.
The format gives guests room to move beyond a brief introduction and explain why they care. What brought them to this work? What have union members taught them? What needs to change? And what do they hope to contribute?
Selected conversations and clips will also be featured on The Daily Jolt with Rick Smith, extending the connection between the new series and the show’s focus on working America.
Listen—and Bring Your Voice to the Conversation
Partners in Labor with Rick Smith is now live, with an initial collection of interviews available to explore. Listeners can find the series through the podcast player on the LaborForce Media homepage or visit the Partners in Labor podcast on Acast. Follow the show to hear future conversations.
We are also looking for more voices.
Are you a union member with a story others should hear? A union leader or organizer working to create opportunities? A family member whose life has been shaped by labor? An employer, service partner, or public official with a commitment to supporting unions?
If you are a partner in labor, we want to hear from you.
Contact Kerri O’Brien at LaborForce Media to suggest a guest or share your story. Tell us who you are, how you are connected to labor, and what you would like to discuss with Rick.
Strong partnerships begin with understanding. These conversations are an invitation to build more of it.
Tags: Union Labor, Union Partners, Union Workers